A Kalos Journey
by TheLoneHero17
Summary: Serena's time at Professor Oak's Summer Camp was a bitter experience, even with the addition of a new "friend" in the mix. All Kuzuki Sakai wanted to do is have a peaceful time with his old friends, though nothing's peaceful when it comes to traveling with Ash Ketchum. After all, second time's a charm. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Lumiose City

_Chapter 1: Lumiose City_

"We made it to Lumiose City!" Ash Ketchum exclaimed happily. Serena nodded, also feeling cheerful of the whole situation.

"The last time I was here, I didn't have much time to look around. But this city must be the center of the fashion universe, all the people are well-dressed. Also, the Prism Tower is just so incredible!" She explained causing Ash to smile at his friend's excitement.

Meanwhile, the two blonde siblings Clemont and Bonnie, shared a nervous glance to each other. They seemed off ever since they've been walking towards the city.

"Yeah, sure is," Clemont said.

"I guess it's okay." Bonnie shrugged, earning confused expressions from both Ash and Serena. However, Ash soon ignored the two's weird behavior and stared at the tower that stood proudly before him.

"The Lumiose Gym is inside that tower," Ash explained to the three. Clemont tugged on his straps tighter as he mention the gym. Only his younger sister noticed this action. Serena turned her attention to Ash.

"Oh, so you've already challenged that gym Ash?" Ash chuckled a bit at her conclusion. He looked at his Pikachu, who was on his shoulder with a sheepish look.

"Well I sure tried to." He then went on to explain that he was denied access to a gym battle due to his lack of badges. "Well that's what happened, I didn't have four badges so I couldn't get in," He said, rubbing the back of his head with a grin. Serena, on the other hand was baffled by the news.

"I had no idea there were gyms where you need four badges just to challenge them," She replied.

"Well, since that's the way it is here. Why don't we get out of Lumiose City," Clemont pleaded.

"Let's go!" Bonnie chimed in.

"But I've been looking forward to exploring Lumiose City," Serena said, disappointed with the two practically wanting to leave the city straight away.

"We can do that stuff next time," She assured Serena and she then started pushing the older girl away. Clemont saw this and did the same with Ash. "Okay, let's go!" Ash and Serena's complaints were left unheard as the two siblings kept shoving them away in an attempt to escape the city. This went on until a deep voice made its presence known.

"Why, if it isn't my Clemont and Bonnie," The voice said, earning small gasps from Clemont and Bonnie. The group turned around to see an older man on his motorcycle and what appeared to be an Ampharos riding with him.

"Dad!" Clemont gasped.

"Ampharos!" Bonnie shrieked, surprised by their sudden appearance. Ash and Serena couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Dad!?" They both cried out. The man took off his helmet and walked in front of them. Clemont and Bonnie ran up to their dad giving him each a quick hug.

"Uhhh…" Clemont started out but he couldn't seem to find the right words. "..Let me introduce you…." Clemont trailed off as his little sister finished for him.

"I want you to meet our daddy!" The little girl declared, waving her arms around. The man let out a laugh.

"I'm Meyer. I run an electric shop around here along with Ampharos," Meyer explained while his pokemon greeted the group happily. Ash looked at the two with an amazed look on his face.

"You and Ampharos, cool!" He exclaimed, Pikachu agreed with his trainer. Bonnie went towards Ash and Serena feeling like she should introduce the two.

"And these guys here, they are our brand new super nice good friends!" The man was appalled as they mentioned the word "friend" before he regained his composure. Clemont looked at his father nervously.

"Your friends!?" Meyer questioned, clenching his fingers as his face hardened. This move caused Clemont to back away to his new friends and sister, surprised at his father. "I'm so overcome with happiness!" He gushed out, hugging his children tightly.

"My name is Ash and this is my partner, Pikachu." After they properly got to know each other with Meyer mistaking Serena to be Clemont's girlfriend, the older man's face grew serious.

"Now you listen here, Clemont." The blonde boy turned his back on his dad but Meyer wasn't having any of that. He got face to face with his son. "You should come to the house once in a while," He said sternly, placing his hands on his hips and narrowing his eyes at his son. Clemont tried to explain himself but ultimately couldn't find the words to do so. "Is there some reason you haven't come around?" Meyer asked, raising his eyebrow at the blonde boy. Clemont soon turned into a nervous wreck at that question.

Luckily, Bonnie saved him or at least almost did by trying to tell their father that they got to go but he pressed onto the situation more.

"Wait, Clemont." The siblings both froze while Ash and Serena looked on. "I've told you this before. It's true you need to be tough on challengers, but that alone isn't going to make them become better trainers! Take that Kuzuki kid from Kanto for example, you tried to be tough on him but failed to do so. He was kind enough to forgive your behavior and even helped you with your problem. Come to think of it, what exactly did happen to him?" Meyer inquired catching the attention of the whole group at the mention of the boy. Serena's mind went blank, seperating herself from the entire conversation.

"Kuzuki!? Excuse me sir, but are you talking about Kuzuki Sakai?!" Ash asked excitingly. When the man nodded in confirmation the Kanto native boy grew thrilled at the news. Pikachu perked up at the name too. Clemont and Bonnie looked at Ash with their eyes wide open.

"Wait, you know Kuzuki?" Clemont asked Ash who smiled at the blonde haired boy. Bonnie also leaned in to hear what Ash had to say.

"Oh you bet I do! Kuzuki and I met back in the summer camp I went to when I was younger in the Kanto region. After that, we met up later when I started my journey and we traveled all around Kanto and Johto to earn gym badges. When we were done traveling together, Kuzuki went back to Kanto while I traveled to the Hoenn region. Man it sure would be nice to see him after all this time," Ash explained to the two siblings. Clemont, now intrigued began to ask Ash more about his journey while Bonnie noticed that Serena seemed to be shaking nervously. Before she had the chance to ask her what was wrong her father spoke up.

"Don't lose focus at what I'm trying to say Clemont," He said, cutting off the conversation between his son and Ash. "My point being that if you want to become the gy-" Meyer was interrupted by a loud booming voice.

"Hey! Don't you dare touch me you bag of nuts and bolts. I helped create you!" A voice yelled, catching the attention of the entire group. Ash seemed to recognise who the voice belonged to.

"Hey, that sounded like…" Bonnie started off before Ash cut her off mid-sentence

"Kuzuki!" Ash exclaimed. "And he sounds like he needs help! Come on Pikachu, it sounded like it came from the Prism Tower!" Pikachu nodded and started to run to the direction of the tower along with his trainer. Meyer, also sensing the danger, got back on his motorcycle with his Ampharos and drove off. Clemont and Bonnie sighed in relief that their father didn't mention what they dreaded he'd say before they followed behind.

"Hey Ash! Wait up!"

"Daddy! Ampharos!"

The two left without noticing that their last friend stayed behind. Serena stood there motionless, her palms sweating nervously. She seemed pretty shaken up the whole time. The Vaniville Town girl looked up at the sky and let out a shaky sigh.

"Kuzuki…"

* * *

Ash had finally made it to the outside of the Prism Tower. What he saw completely blew his mind.

"Pika!" The electric type pokemon cried out, also in shock. There, stood a boy with his megaphone that he was yelling into the ears of a robot that resembled Clemont! The boy glared at the robot, agitated at its stubbornness while the Ivysaur beside him looked ready to battle. The boy was too busy to notice that Ash was behind him. Instead, he kept on arguing with the strange robot.

"Clembot! I've already told you countless times that I've already earned the Voltage badge! Give it back to me now! Don't make me get Clemont here to reprogram you this instant!" The boy yelled with his megaphone at the face of the Clembot. He tried reaching for something in its hand, which was lifted all the way up in the air.

"Error number three hundred and six," Clembot buzzed. "No one by the name of Kuzuki Sakai is in my database, you are not my creator. Facial Recognition activate." The robot scanned Kuzuki's face. "I do not recognize you, therefore you never challenged me to a gym battle. This badge does not belong to you." Clembot's monotone voice spoke, refusing to give Kuzuki his badge. Ivysaur tried to reach Clembot's hand with his vine whip but was swatted away by its other metal hand.

"Clemont!" Kuzuki yelled out in frustration, this time without his megaphone that was clipped back to his belt. "Wait until I find you and demand to know why you took all the credit for this robot!" Kuzuki let out a heavy sigh with his hand massaging his temples. The Clembot went back inside the gym to await its next challenger.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur chirped, tugging on his trainers shorts as he pointed to behind them.

"What is it Ivysaur…" His voice trailed off when he turned around and saw who was behind him. "Ash!" He called out running up towards him. Ash smiled brightly seeing that his old friend finally noticed him.

"Kuzuki! Long time no see!" The two exchanged a fist pump while their pokemon greeted each other happily.

"Ash, you don't know how happy I am to see you again!" He exclaimed before he clicked his tongue. "Well I guess happy is an exaggeration right now. That stupid Clembot was giving me a headache," Kuzuki grumbled while his Ivysaur nodded in agreement.

"Clembot?" Ash asked in confusion. Kuzuki was about to answer him until he heard a little girl call his name.

"Kuzuki!" Bonnie yelled running up to Kuzuki and wrap her arms around him. Kuzuki smiled softly, returning the hug. Once she let go she noticed Kuzuki's upset expression and asked him what was wrong.

"What's wrong Bonnie is that your brother's stupid robot just stole my Voltage Badge!" Bonnie gasped. "Just where is that idiotic brother of yours anyway? I want to give him a piece of my mind." Kuzuki gritted his teeth, ignoring Bonnie's protests of "not hurting her brother" until he heard a yelp. As fast as a lion hearing its prey, Kuzuki turned his head in flash to see Clemont hiding behind a tree. No doubt that he heard Kuzuki mentioning his whereabouts. Clemont tried to run off but Kuzuki caught him and lightly pushed him against the tree where he was hiding.

"Clemont. Its been a while, hasn't it?" Kuzuki greeted casually. The blonde haired boy chuckled nervously, his eyes avoiding his glare. "I'm going to ask you one thing Clemont and you're going to give me an answer." Clemont nodded his head frantically. Bonnie and Ash watched on, ready to interfere in their "reunion" if needed. "When you asked me for help in making this little robot of yours and I said sure as long as you promised me one thing…" Kuzuki chuckled. "...do you remember just what exactly you promised me dear friend?"

Clemont tugged on the collar of his jumpsuit anxiously and started laughing nervously.

 ** _Kuzuki used Hardened Stare!_**

 ** _It's super effective!_**

Clemont stopped laughing and in a small voice spoke. "Y-you said that you wa-wanted t-to take half t-the…" Clemont took a deep gulp and continued. "Credit for m-making Clembot," He stuttered.

"Haha, funny that you remember that. I had a chat with Clembot just now and you know what I found out?" Kuzuki closed his eyes and just stood there. Confused by the sudden action, Clemont carefully tried to sneak away from Kuzuki but failed doing so. Kuzuki pushed him back against the tree. "I found out that I'm not even in the darn database! What's that all about? I helped you build that bucket of bolts, pay for the parts, and this is the thanks I get!?" Kuzuki barked out, causing Clemont to let out a small gasp.

"B-believe me Kuzuki I was going to put you in the database of Clembot but the weirdest thing happened! I got that picture you sent me so Clembot could recognize you as its co-creator with its facial recognition. B-but I left it at my desk when I first got it so I could make Bonnie and I a snack, but when I got back it was gone! Honest!" Clemont said, trying to get Kuzuki to believe his story. Instead he rolled his eyes.

"Oh give me a break Clemont, how dumb do you think I am? Even Ash wouldn't fall for that."

"Yeah I wouldn't!" Ash thought about it for a moment. "Hey!" Kuzuki let out a laugh before redirecting his focus to Clemont.

"Clemont." Kuzuki placed his hand on the blonde haired kid's shoulder. "We're old pals. You've known me from the seven months I was here helping you build the robot. As an old friend won't you tell me what really happened?" Kuzuki asked with a smile. Clemont finally looked directly at him and released the tension off his shoulders because of his calm demeanour.

"I was telling the truth," Clemont assured his pal. Just before either of them got a chance to say anything else, Bonnie came up to them with something in the palm of her hand. She looked embarrassed and nervous as she handed it to Kuzuki.

"H-here," She said, leaving Kuzuki wondering what she was giving him. He took the folded piece of paper and opened it up. Clemont let out a huge gasp and his eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"Ivy! Ivysaur!" Kuzuki's grass type pokemon cried, confused by whatever was on the object that his trainer was holding. Leaping high above the air, Ivysaur just barely caught a glimpse of the paper.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur laughed, rolling on his side chortling to his heart's content. Ash decided to add himself to the group out of curiosity. He stood behind Kuzuki and peeked over his shoulder to see what all the commotion was about.

"Wah?! Whoa, Bonnie has a picture of Kuzuki!?" Ash exclaimed quite bluntly, oblivious to the embarrassment Bonnie was suffering to.

"Pika?" Pikachu hopped on Ash's shoulder to see it for himself. It was a picture of Kuzuki, but it wasn't just any ordinary picture of him. Back when Clemont told Kuzuki that he needed a picture of him in order for Clembot to recognise him, he said that his face was required to be on the photo. Since that was the only thing needed Kuzuki thought it'd be pretty hilarious if he did a pose. Of course Kuzuki being Kuzuki, he did the dumbest pose he could think of.

"Uhh…" Kuzuki was at a lost of words. When he first took the picture he laughed so hard just imagining Clemont's face when he sent the photo, but now not so much. "Thanks?" He stupidly responded, mentally smacking himself.

"Bonnie!" Clemont yelled, flabbergasted by her actions. "Just what do you think you were doing with that picture? Never mind that, why do you have it on you right now! I can't even believe you right now. I've always told you not to take things that aren't yours. I-I….." Clemont fumed in fury while Ash and Kuzuki tried to calm him down.

"I-I'm sorry Clemont. I just missed Kuzuki ever since he left. Ever since you started doing gym battles you rarely even spend time with me anymore. When you started working on Clembot you spent even less time with me. Then Kuzuki came along and saw me by myself. We spent so much time together and when he left I was alone again." Bonnie looked like she was going to cry. "A-and you know what? Kuzuki is more of a big brother than you've ever been!" Bonnie shrieked, running off with tears dripping down her face.

Clemont stood there stunned by what his little sister had to say. He was so busy with his inventions that he forgot to take care of his sister half the time. He started running off after her.

"Hey Clemont, wait up!" Ash called out following him along with Pikachu. Kuzuki sighed and looked down at Ivysaur.

"Hey bud, should we go back to getting our badge or go with them Ivysaur?" The grass type pokemon directed his attention to where the three ran off to and Kuzuki took the hint. "Wouldn't have it any other way." Kuzuki took out his metal megaphone and pointed his finger forward.

"Ivysaur! Take charge!" He yelled out through his megaphone. Hearing the loud command Ivysaur took off with Kuzuki not too far behind.

* * *

Bonnie sat on a fountain thinking about what she had said to her brother. Some of it was out of anger, some of it may have even been true. It didn't matter now. It had already came out of her mouth. She wiped her tears off her face once she heard footsteps coming behind her. The person sat down beside her and she felt an arm being wrapped around her shoulder.

"Bonnie, I'm so sorry." Bonnie looked up to see her brother staring at her with a thoughtful expression on his face. She gazed at him for a solid minute before she let out a wail and wrapped her arms around Clemont. The younger sibling cried herself on Clemont's shoulder. He hugged her back and even he had to admit that the small amount of tears on his face wasn't because of the water in the fountain.

"If there's anything I can do for you just name it," Clemont said in an effort for her to accept his forgiveness. Bonnie's wide smile told him that she thought of something.

"Spend more time with me big brother," Bonnie pleaded.

"That's it? Consider it done!" Clemont exclaimed happily. The two hugged each other once more before a familiar thunderous voice could be heard.

"At ease people!" Kuzuki spoke with his megaphone still in his hand. "Oh, there you two are! Ash, they're right here!" Clemont laughed as he watched the people around Kuzuki cover their ears in pain. Ash arrived a second later looking a bit lost.

"Man, how did you find them so fast. I've been searching here for a while." Kuzuki shrugged with a grin plastered on his face.

"Hey Ash, how come you're not affected by Kuzuki's megaphone?" Clemont asked causing Ash to chuckle.

"Well you see Clemont, back in Kanto when I met up with Kuzuki again he had that same exact megaphone and he's been carrying it throughout Kanto and Johto. I got used to it during that time." Ash recalled the start of his journey and smiled.

"Yep! Those times sure were fun. You, Brock, and Misty are really amazing friends you know. I suppose Tracey was too but he was with us only for a little while. Shame we've never hung out more." Kuzuki frowned before he smiled brightly once more. "I guess with just you and I, it's still considered a Kanto reunion."

"It sure is!" Ash replied eagerly. Clemont coughed, feeling a bit awkward standing there and watching the two catch up.

"While I do feel bad about interrupting this heartfelt talk. I believe there are more pressing matter at hand," Clemont declared, reminding Kuzuki of something.

"That's right! That stupid robot still has my badge!" Kuzuki whined, enraged by the Clembot's actions.

"Clembot took your badge?" Clemont asked. Kuzuki nodded affirmatively.

"Yeah, I came back to Lumiose City for a quick break. Naturally, I went to the Lumiose Gym to see if you or Bonnie were around." Ash stared at him confused, as if still not putting two and two together. "I got to the entrance and just before I went in, Clembot came out and asked me if I had four gym badges." Clemont huffed in frustration at this.

"I told Clembot to prefer challengers with four badges. Not having them to be required in order to challenge it." Clemont crossed his arms annoyed and let Kuzuki continue on.

"I told Clembot that I didn't want a gym battle since I already got the badge and it just got crazy after that. It demanded to know why I had the Voltage Badge when it didn't remember challenging me. Before I even had the chance to explain it snatched the badge right out of my hand! Ivysaur and I tried to get it back but its arm was too high in the air for me to reach. Ivysaur unleashed his vine whip to get it but the robot's other hand swatted it away," Kuzuki explained, shaking his head.

"Ivy! Ivysaur!" The seed pokemon added in confirming his trainers story.

"I'm pretty sure you all know what happened after that. Point being that we need to go and reprogram that robot! Clemont! What's the voice activation code!" Kuzuki demanded. Clemont let out a gasp.

"W-well you see, I tried that already but it didn't work. I'm positive that that was the correct word," Clemont muttered the last part to himself. He just had to think harder!

"Well, we won't do anything here. Let's go back to Prism Tower!" Ash suggested.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed. Without a second thought, the group of four headed back to the Lumiose City Gym.

* * *

"So Clemont," Kuzuki whispered to the blonde haired boy. "Did Clembot really take over your gym?" He asked as they neared the Prism Tower. Clemont let out a sad sigh and nodded embarrassingly.

"Yeah, when the voice code didn't work, Clembot kicked me out of my own gym because I didn't have any badges. I haven't been back there since. Even if I have the password I still need to battle it. The problem is that Clembot will have all my pokemon partners to battle me with. No way I can get my gym back. Let's just retrieve your badge and get out of here," Clemont replied disappointed in himself.

"No."

"No?"

"No, I'm not going to stand here and watch you complain about your gym. You're going in there and reclaim your gym!" Kazuki declared. Clemont on the other hand didn't seem convinced.

"B-but Clembot still has my other poke-"

"It doesn't matter if he has your pokemon," Kuzuki said, cutting him off of his words. "I know for a fact that you carry that Bunnelby of yours around you all the time. Am I right?" Clemont nodded solemnly. "Then you can still battle your robot. Clemont you're a strong trainer whether you know it or don't. Just believe in yourself every once in a while." Kuzuki gave him a thumbs up.

"You know what Kuzuki? I'm going to do just that. I'm going to get my gym back!" He claimed too loudly causing Ash to hear what he said.

"Wait Clemont, you're a gym leader!?" Ash was too stunned by the sudden revelation. Clemont quickly realized his mistake and tried to take it back. Bonnie looked at her brother in disbelief.

"Really Clemont? You wanted to keep it a secret from everyone else yet here you are practically shouting it out." The younger sibling shook her head while the older one smiled sheepishly.

"Well now that the cat's out of the bag, there should be another way in the gym. If we can get to the battlefield then maybe Clembot will recognize us as challengers and battle us. Follow me everyone!" Clemont lead the way while ignoring Ash's questions. Once they made it to the back, the blonde haired boy directed them towards the tarp and lifted it up, revealing a pathway. A room soon followed afterwards with nothing but a vent in it.

"Ivysaur! Use Razor Leaf!" Kuzuki ordered. Ivysaur let out multiple razor leafs from his back and aimed for the vent. It broke on impact and the group continued on through the vent. As everyone got out the air vent, Clemont informed them that battlefield was close ahead but before they had a chance to move, a buzzing noise was heard behind them. The four turned around to see a pokemon floating in the air right in front of them. Clemont's eyes widened.

"That's my Magnemite!" Clemont announced, approaching the electric type pokemon. "Hey Magnemite, it's me!" Magnemite grew happy at seeing its trainer before it shot a bolt of electricity. More soon followed as it forced the group to run in an attempt to avoid them. "Come on Magnemite, stop!" Clemont begged, but the shots didn't stop.

"Looks like we're going to have to take it down. Ivysaur, use vine whip!" The grass type pokemon halted and shot its vine whip directly at the Magnemite causing it to go down from the direct hit. It let out a final beep before it went unconscious. Although, it was too early to celebrate as another pokemon soon followed.

"Magneton! Oh no, not you too!" Clemont recognized the pokemon as his. Like Magnemite, Magneton looked ready to attack Ivysaur!

"Ivysaur dodge it and use Razor Leaf!" Ivysaur jumped up to the sky to avoid the attack and fired off his razor leafs at the Magneton. It soon too fell from the attack. The group continued to run hoping that they wouldn't encounter another one of Clemont's pokemon. Later, everyone finally made it to the edge of the battlefield as they caught their breaths.

"Whew! Somehow we finally made it here," Clemont said before a bright light came down, startling the group. There, stood the Clembot who was staring at them.

"Welcome to the Lumiose Gym," It stated, lighting up the battlefield in the process.

"Clembot it's you!" Clemont exclaimed. He took a deep breath. Kuzuki placed his hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. Feeling more confident, Clemont pointed at the robot with a look of determination in his eyes. "Clembot! Activate master recognition battle mode!" He demanded while Clembot gave him the same request as before.

"Voice code needed for activation." Clemont closed his eyes trying to remember what he set it to.

"You can do it Clemont!" Bonnie called from behind. Clemont opened his eyes and examined his robot until it came to him.

"Of course! The voice code is, you can start today! I'm Clemont, the Gym Leader!" He commanded and waited for the outcome. To his relief, Clembot recognized the code and demanded a battle. Clemont walked towards the battlefield, clutching his pokeball in the palm of his hands. Ash, Kuzuki, and Bonnie cheered him on from the stands along with their pokemon.

The battle began with a blast as Clemont's Bunnelby and Clembot's Heliolisk started off the battle. It was tough to say the least, with Heliolisk managing to counter most of Bunnelby's moves. Somehow, Clemont seemed to find a way around its counters by using double team while Bunnelby was digging, tricking the Heliolisk. It landed a direct hit on Heliolisk and finished it off with a mudshot.

"Alright Clemont, my guy!" Kuzuki yelled out with his megaphone in his hand knowing it was loud enough for his friend to hear. The group walked off the stands to join Clemont. He apologized to his robot and pokemon for his troubles and declared to reprogram Clembot. However, before he could do so.

"Clemont! Bonnie! I'm finally here!" A voice called out. Everyone turned around and saw Meyer running towards them with his Ampharos.

"What took you so long?" Ash questioned the older man.

"Heh, well you see." Meyer chuckled. "My motorcycle broke down and I was stuck out on the street for a while. It was only then that I remembered that Ampharos here could give it a shock and power it back on!" He said as Ampharos lifted its head proudly. The man looked at the machine in front of him. "Whoa! What the heck is that thing!?" He shrieked, taking multiple steps back.

"Uh well, dad." Clemont rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly while Bonnie gave her father a nervous smile. "Allow me to introduce to you my…" Kuzuki glared at the blond haired boy. "...I mean our creation. Meet Clembot!" Clemont announced, standing beside Kuzuki. "I guess now is a better time to start explaining everything to you, huh?"

* * *

After Clemont, along with Bonnie, explained everything that had happened, his father started at him with wide eyes.

"Let me get this straight. Your robot kicked you out of your own gym!?" He uttered in disbelief. He then let out a low hum.

"Daddy! Wait until you hear the whole story!" Bonnie pleaded.

"Things are about to be fine! Once I reprogram Clembot here it'll be set to leave it as gym leader," Clemont reasoned to his father. Meyer seemed to ponder about the whole situation.

"Well I sure hope that you're right." Meyer placed his hands on his hips. "Does that mean you'll be coming home more often?" He asked.

"Visit!?" Clemont stammered. "Well you see, the thing is…" Clemont trailed off, playing with his fingers.

"Is there some kind of problem?" His father inquired.

"Kind of because…" The blonde haired boy stared at the floor, carefully revising his next words. Bonnie urged her brother to spit it out already. "Here's the thing, I'm…" He clenched his fists. "...going on a journey!" Ash and Kuzuki grew surprised at this revelation. "Ever since I met Ash, I've been finding more and more courage the longer I travel with him. I've always been afraid to find the courage to try out new things but now I feel completely different." Clemont then went on to explain the kind of feelings he's been experiencing since he traveled with Ash.

"...it's really important that I travel with him there," He explained to his father.

"Daddy, I want to go with Clemont, Ash and Kuzuki too!" She cried out. Kuzuki took this time to make himself known.

"Oh Bonnie, but I'm not even going with you guys," Kazuki stated as the three look at him in shock.

"Really?" Ash replied, confused and disappointed.

"How come?" Clemont added.

"Why?" Bonnie asked as she look up at him with her widened eyes.

"I just came here for a quick break before I resumed my journey. As far as I know, we're on a different agenda," He responded truthfully, although it did hurt to see Bonnie's tearful expression.

"But if you don't, who'll take care of me?" Clemont look at his younger sister in disbelief.

"Wha!? I will of course! I-Who did you think was going to take care of you?" He demanded, causing her to let out a laugh.

"Oh yeah. Guess I sort of forgot." She grinned cheekily at her older brother.

"Aww, come on Kuzuki!" Ash pleaded. "Come travel with us. After all, you did say it was a Kanto reunion." Kuzuki thought about it. "Won't it get boring traveling all by yourself? We could have fun just like we did with Brock and Misty!" Kuzuki thought about it some more. "And we'll earn our gym badges together, just like good old times." Kuzuki stopped thinking about it.

"But Ash, I've already started collecting badges here in Kalos for a large chunk of time now. Didn't you just start a few days ago?"

"Huh?"

"Look." Kuzuki pulled out his badge case revealing four shiny badges. Ash gasped as he stared at the badges in marvel. "I've already received the Bug, Rumble, Plant, Iceberg, and Voltage Badge." He pointed at each badge as he explained each one.

"You said five badges. I only see four." Ash cocked his head in confusion. Pikachu, whom was on his shoulder also looked lost. Maybe Kuzuki miscounted.

"No, I have five alright, but remember that a certain badge was taken from me earlier today…" Kuzuki didn't finished his sentence. Instead he stared at Clemont who took the hint.

"Oh that's right! All the excitement made me forget. Clembot do you still have that badge you confiscated earlier today?" Clembot opened up a compartment on his metallic body and retrieved the Voltage Badge. He handed it to Clemont. Kuzuki hummed in delight when he saw his badge again.

"Well Kuzuki, I hereby present to you the Voltage Badge once more," He joked, handing over the badge back to Kuzuki.

"Alright! I got the Voltage Badge again!" He shouted happily.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur chirped joyfully. Kuzuki patted the top of his head and placed the Voltage Badge back to its proper place in his case.

"Congratulations Kuzuki!" Ash congratulated his friend along with Pikachu.

"Wait! You don't have the Cliff Badge do you?" Bonnie squeaked out earning a nod from Kuzuki. "Well, the Cyllage Gym isn't that far from here. In fact I'd say it's the closest gym from here. You and Ash can go together!" Bonnie suggested excitingly and also proud of herself with coming up with the plan.

Both Kuzuki and Ash smiled upon hearing that.

"That doesn't sound that bad of a plan. In fact, it's actually quite brilliant," Kuzuki answered truthfully. "But after we defeat the gym leader then I'll go off on my own again."

Bonnie looked down sadly as he finished his sentence. Ash seeing this, surprisingly stepped in with his own suggestion.

"Why don't you think about while we travel to Cyllage City and then tell us whether you still want to come with us or not. You may not get your other badges as fast as you planned on getting but you can squeeze in some extra training and practice with us! Remember back in Kanto when you said you've always wanted more time to train and spend time with you pokemon. This way you can hang out with your pokemon and your friends while also getting your last three badges. It's a win win win!"

Kuzuki stared at Ash with his jaw wide open. Since when did Ash come up with brilliant ideas?

"Will you Kuzuki?" Kuzuki averted his attention to the young girl who gave him her best pleading look.

 ** _Bonnie used Puppy Dog Eyes!_**

 ** _It's super effective!_**

Kuzuki just couldn't say no to her.

"Oh alright. I'll think about it during our trip to Cyllage City." Bonnie let out a victory cry and gave Kuzuki a hug.

"That's great and all." Meyer's voice caught all their attention. "But I'm still not entirely convinced." Meyer folded his arms and awaited their reasoning.

"I'll take care of Bonnie. I promise," Kuzuki promised Meyer.

"Yeah, we all promise," Ash added.

"Once Clembot gets reprogrammed I'll give you my word that it will take care of the gym, and help out in the house as well," Clemont assured his father. The whole group along with their pokemon looked at Meyer with their eyes filled with hope. The man looked down at the floor.

"I'm just so…." He clenched his fists. "...I'm just so...I'm just so proud and happy for you both!" His eyes sparkled in joy. "What a joy to have such great kids! I know that I've told you this before. The most important thing in the world, is to have real friends! As long as Ash and Kuzuki are with you two, I'm not worried about a thing! Alright you can go." He hugged his children tightly and the two returned the gesture.

"Thanks so much dad!" Clemont thanked his father graciously.

"I love you Daddy!" Bonnie cried out.

"Now, Ash and Kuzuki. Promise me that you'll take care of these two and keep them out of trouble. Okay?" Meyer requested to the two trainers.

"Yes sir!" They both simultaneously said together. Kuzuki gave Meyer a salute while saying so. The man smiled and stood back up.

"Alright! So for now, it's time to celebrate Clemont and Bonnie's new journey!" Meyer announced as everyone cheered happily at the declaration. "Oh by the way, that girl you guys were with was by the ice cream store last I checked before I came here. Might want to go see what's up." Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie's eyes bulged out. They all let out a gasp at the reminder.

"We forgot Serena!"

* * *

Serena watched as the sun began to set. She had been at the ice cream shop all day with that name still flowing through her mind.

"Kuzuki." She grasped her cup of ice cream tighter. Fennekin, who was beside her trainer, looked on with concern. She had been like this the whole day and it frustrated the fire type pokemon when her trainer said that everything was okay. Her ears perked up when she heard the running footsteps coming towards their direction. Serena turned to see her friends running frantically at her.

"Hey guys," She greeted them with a hint of sadness still in her voice.

"Oh gosh Serena! So much has happened today that we completely forgot about you! We spent so much time getting Clemont's gym back that we left you in the dust," Ash exasperated, while the siblings also gave her their excuses. Serena giggled seeing her friends like this.

"It's alright guys, really. I've just been here thinking…" Her voice trailed off as she stared at her cup of ice cream. "...wait, Clemont you're a gym leader?" She asked, surprised at the sudden news.

"Oh yeah." Clemont scratched his face. "Sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Long story short, my Clembot kicked me out of my gym and we went back to Prism Tower to get my gym back." Serena felt her head grow dizzy with all this new information. How did she miss so much in just one day?

"Yeah and I caught up with a friend I met back at summer camp all those years ago," Ash chimed in. Serena narrowed her eyes at him.

"Oh, so you remember this friend from camp but you couldn't remember me?" She let out a huff and looked away from Ash, her nose high in the air.

"Yeah, but he and I go way back when I started my pokemon journey in the Kanto and Johto regions!" Serena suddenly grew intrigued. Maybe this person will tell her a bit more about Ash. Feeling upbeat at her new plan, Serena stood up and faced Ash excitingly.

"Oh. Where is this person you're speaking of? I sure would love to meet them." She giggled.

"He got a bit distracted on the way here. Something about his puppy dog eyes not being super effective to the guy he was trying to get free drinks from." Bonnie giggled at this, remembering Kuzuki not being able to leave when he already took a sip of his bottled drink without paying for it. Some people just don't have that type of natural talent like she does.

"Haha! Yeah did you see his face when the guy wouldn't give him the drink for free?" Clemont recalled, already having some good memories at the beginning of his and Bonnie's journey.

"That's my old friend for you! Although, I do feel a bit bad for leaving him there by himself." Ash started to worry about his friends fate in the situation.

"Relax Ash I'm sure he's going to eventually realize that he's got to pay for the drink," Clemont concluded, still snickering a bit. Serena giggled at the funny story her friends were telling her. This person sounded like a real joy to be around with. Just then she heard the sound of a pokemon.

"Ivy! Ivysaur!" The grass type pokemon cried out turning around the corner and meeting his old and new friends.

"Hey it's Ivysaur! That must mean your trainer is close by," Ash predicted, earning a nod from Ivysaur. The sound of footsteps were heard causing the group to get excited.

"Here he comes!" Clemont said eagerly. "When he gets here we'll all go to my house for the night and begin our journey in the morning!" Clemont felt pumped up and was ready for the day to be over so he can finally begin his journey.

"You're going to like him Serena. I just know it!" Bonnie declared proudly. Serena smiled brightly at her. If she was so sure in herself then he must be wonderful. The anticipation was practically killing her on the inside.

A shoe was spotted behind the corner, indicating that the new person was just around the corner! Serena closed her eyes happily.

"Well turns out that if you use both **_Puppy_** ** _Dog Eyes_** and **_Cry_** , it'll be a definite super effective move. Maybe even critical…" The new person's voice came to a halt. No doubt due to seeing her added into the frame.

"Hi I'm Seren-" She started her introduction before the new person cut her off.

"Do my eyes deceive me!? Why it's mommy's girl, Serena!" The voice started to laugh afterwards. Serena felt her whole body go stiff. Only one person called her that. Slowly but carefully did she open her eyes to see if it really was him. She felt her fists clench up and her shoulders tensed even more once she got a good look of him.

" _Kuzuki…._ "

* * *

 ** _Author's Note: I've finally decided to start writing a fanfiction after spending a considerate amount of time on this site. Although my writing isn't the best I thought why not just take a crack at it and see what other people have to say about it. Criticism is greatly appreciated. On to the story itself I thought it'd be interesting to write about another main character being added into the anime. There aren't many of those types of stories so I decided to do my part and make one too. More background information about Kuzuki Sakai and his Pokemon will be revealed in the next chapter which hopefully will be out by next week. Stay classy readers!_**


	2. Camp Tales

_Chapter 2: Camp Tales_

"Kuzuki…." Serena narrowed her eyes as she stared at him with a deep frown. Fennekin noticed her trainer's mood go down and began yipping angrily at the boy.

"Woah!" Kuzuki responded to the fire type pokemon's hostility. "Easy there little fella. I don't bite, but I'm sure you do!" He laughed at his own joke. "How's it been Serena? Still holding your mommy's hand?" He teased. Serena's face went red.

"Whoa Kuzuki! You know Serena?" Ash exclaimed, surprised at the outcome. Now it was Kuzuki's turn to be confused.

"Uh, yeah I do. I always told you about her in camp, remember?" He earned a blank expression from Ash. "Really? You don't recall? Here let me give you a hint." Kuzuki finished his drink and took a deep breath.

"What's he doing?" Bonnie asked her brother.

"I don't know. Maybe he's about to act something out. He was always good at that." True to Clemont's words, Kuzuki did just. He got down on his knees and put his hand over his forehead dramatically.

"I want my m-mommy!" He wailed with tears in his eyes. Serena gasped at his little performance. Something seemed to click in the mind of Ash.

"Oh! Now I remember. You were that girl with the straw hat that cried for her mom everyday!" Ash shouted out rather bluntly. This caused Kuzuki to belly laugh.

"Is that why you called Serena a mommy's girl?" Bonnie asked Kuzuki.

"You bet! If you want, I can share to you guys some stories of camp," He suggested. Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie beamed brightly at this. Serena's small cries of protest were ignored.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur's stomach grumbled in hunger.

"Guess we should go to my house. It's getting late after all. We should feed our pokemon there," Clemont stated, earning a groan from Bonnie.

"Aw! But I want to hear the stories!" Bonnie protested, oblivious of Serena's feelings.

"Pika!" Pikachu's stomach rumbled too.

"I guess we should head back." Kuzuki seemed deep in thought. "Although one little story won't hurt on the way there." He grinned madly at Serena who in return gave him a dirty look. The group walked along the sidewalk with Serena distancing herself a bit.

"It was the first day of camp," Kuzuki began. "I was dropped off by my mom and we had to wait for the others to show up before we could head to the camp. I was thinking about what types of pokemon were going to be there when all of a sudden, I heard someone let out a shriek. Naturally, I turned my head and saw a girl wrapping herself around her mom's leg. Anyone have a guess as to who this was?" He asked. Ash snapped his fingers in a flash.

"Oh! That was Serena? Man I must be real awful at remembering people." Ash placed his hands behind his head. "I still remember what happened though. Professor Oak came and had to help get her off her mom's leg. I think he mentioned having to almost get a Charizard to assist him before she finally let go."

"Yeah, after that, we arrived at camp and I was placed into the Squirtle Cabin. Ash was too so that pretty much sums up how we met. Anyway, on to the juicy part part of the story." He clasped his hands together. "Later that evening, we were told to go to the cafeteria for dinner. I got there late because I explored the camp for pokemon. When I got there, all the seats were taken expect for one table."

 **Flashback**

 _Young Kuzuki had spotted a table that wasn't full like the rest. It was currently occupied by one person. Kuzuki recognized her as the girl from earlier who put on quite the scene. Seeing no other option, he carried his tray of food and sat down next to her. She had barely even touched her food. The girl had her head in between her knees, not noticing that someone else is at her table._

 _Shrugging, Kuzuki began eating his sandwich in silence. His eyes widened as he took his first bite of the sandwich. He admitted that it was the best sandwich he has ever tasted, but he never told his mom that. Finishing the last bite of his sandwich, the boy took a sip of his apple juice and sighed happily. His eyes wandered to the sandwich that was on the girl's tray._

 _The whole wheat bread stared at him, just begging for him to eat it. Kuzuki licked his lips, imagining the flavor of the sandwich back in his mouth. He reached out to the food item but then pulled back. His father didn't teach him his manners for nothing! However, he still really wanted that sandwich and the girl didn't seem like she was going to eat it anytime soon. Dinner was almost over! He had to act fast._

 _Kuzuki tilted his head forward and the girl was still was covering her face. Maybe she was sleeping. Some kids started to get up and Kuzuki knew it was now or never. He thought about what he was going to say since he first lay eyes on her sandwich._

 _"Hey are you going to eat that?" He asked her a little too loudly. The girl let out a shriek and fell back, hitting the floor back first. His known presence had obviously startled her. She was partially dazed by the fall._

 _"Woah!" Kuzuki exclaimed, surprised by her fall. By then most of the kids turned around and started laughing at her misfortune. The girl let out a squeak and ran out of the cafeteria, not without catching a glimpse of the boy. The counselors had called everyone back to their cabins. Still shocked at the outcome, Kuzuki stood up, quickly swiped the sandwich, and stuffed it in his pocket before heading out of the cafeteria._

 **End of Flashback**

"That sandwich was just as good as the first!" Kuzuki laughed along with Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie. His obsession with that particular sandwich was too unreal to believe.

"No wonder there were crumbs on the floor! One of the counselors made me waste my afternoon cleaning it up." Kuzuki laughed louder as Ash playfully hit his shoulder. Serena was too far back to hear most of his story, only catching the part where he got to the cafeteria. Soon they arrived at Clemont and Bonnie's residence where Meyer was waiting.

"You guys finally made up! I see you brought your lady friend back Clemont," Meyer teased, prompting a giggle from Kuzuki and Bonnie. Serena didn't seem too amused at the joke anymore. The five got in the house where they gathered around at the kitchen.

"Wow! Clemont, your house is huge!" Ash complimented.

"Oh it's nothing really." Clemont flushed red from the compliment. "Bunnelby, come on out!" Clemont tossed his pokeball and out came his pokemon.

"Bun! Bunnelby!" It cried out. Ash soon followed Clemont's lead.

"Fletching and Froakie, you guys come on out too!" A small bird and frog appeared in the room.

"Froakie!"

"Fletch!" It chirped in delight at seeing its trainer. Ash watched as Kuzuki took out four pokeballs and released his pokemon.

"Alright you guys, come on out," Kuzuki said.

"Blastoise!"

"Nido!"

"Nub! Nub!"

"Dar!" All four pokemon gave a cheer at seeing their trainer making Kuzuki grin.

"Wow, you still have most of your pokemon from our last journey! But wait, who's that pokemon?" Ash asked as he pointed to the owl like pokemon.

"This right here is Dartrix," Kuzuki explained. "I caught him while I was in the Alola region."

"Wow! I've never even heard of that region before. What's it like?" Ash inquired.

"It's like a tropical paradise filled with oceans, sand, sunny days, and pokemon. I went to Alola a while after I arrived back in Kanto. Brock said he was going to the Hoenn region which I presume he went to find you there?" Ash nodded. "Without Brock I decided to spend most of my time in Misty's gym. We always tried to hang out like we used to but her gym leader duties kept her super busy. I got bored just sitting there so I decided to travel somewhere new." Kuzuki let out a sad sigh when he finished.

"Sounds like a place I want to visit!" Ash announced. As they were having their discussion the pokemon had one of their own.

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu greeted his old pals. The mouse pokemon first addressed the water pokemon whom was his oldest friend besides Ivysaur. Last time they saw each other he was still a Squirtle.

"Blastoise!" Blastoise looked down at his old pal and started laughing at how small he was now that the water type pokemon grew.

"Nub! Nub!" Pikachu then turned his attention to Swinub. The dual-type pokemon began hopping in the air, ecstatic at seeing Pikachu once more.

"Nido!" Nidoran welcomed the electric type in a friendly manner. Ivysaur, Froakie, and Fletchling came over and the seven pokemon started chatting and laughing together. Pikachu then noticed the last of Kuzuki's pokemon looking at them awkwardly. He stood beside his trainer, staring at them in envy. Once he noticed that Pikachu was looking at him, he turned his head around acting like he didn't do anything.

Pikachu felt bad for excluding Dartrix from their little reunion and called him over. Dartrix was tempted to join them but kept still. Then all his pals started to invite him over and the flying type pokemon smiled as he flew over and introduced himself to Pikachu. Clemont's Bunnelby decided to join the group and make new friends.

"Dedenne!" The antenna pokemon hopped off Bonnie's satchel and joined the group of pokemon, not wanting to be left out. Kuzuki let out a surprised noise as he saw Dedenne.

"Woah! How did I just now notice there was a pokemon in that satchel of yours Bonnie?" Bonnie giggled at Kuzuki's shocked face.

Serena's Fennekin watched all of this happen while standing next to her trainer whom was a good distance away from the group. The fire type pokemon mustered up the courage to join her pokemon companions until Serena put her hand out.

"Fennekin, stay." Serena commanded. She didn't want her pokemon near Kuzuki's.

"Fenn..Fennekin," Fennekin whimpered, going back to her trainer's side. Serena felt bad about this but decided it was the right thing to do for now. Clemont and Kuzuki began filling up plates with pokemon food. Once they were done, the two placed the bowls on the floor.

"Eat up everyone!" Clemont watched as the pokemon began stampeding towards the food. "Well, I got to go finish reprogramming Clembot so it can be ready for tomorrow's challengers," Clemont announced, exiting the kitchen before he heard someone approach behind him.

"Come on Clemont." Kuzuki spoke from behind. "You didn't think that I'll leave you to reprogram Clembot alone, did you?" Kuzuki grinned. Clemont smiled at his friend and leaded him to where Clembot was located.

* * *

"Wow Serena, how come you never told me that you're friends with Kuzuki? It seems like the two of you are very good friends!" Ash asked, monitoring the hungry pokemon. Serena scowled at this.

"We are not friends," Serena stated sternly. Ash and Bonnie grew rather surprised at this.

"How come?" Bonnie questioned, not understanding why she said such thing.

"Because…." She let out a deep breath. "...because he's a jerk!" Serena yelled out frustrated. Bonnie quickly defended the boy.

"Kuzuki is not a jerk! He's the nicest person I know besides my big brother." Ash decided to jump in too.

"Yeah, we traveled together for so long and he's never been mean unless he has a reason to," Ash claimed. Serena knew she was outnumbered so there was no point in arguing about it anymore. At least for now.

"Nub! Nub!" The loud series of gasps that followed turned all the attention away from Serena.

"Swinub! No! Stop eating all of the others food!" Bonnie shrieked running over to the pokemon and tugging him away from the food.

"Fletching! Fletch!" The bird pokemon screeched at Swinub. The dual type took the liberty to help himself to some of Fletchling's food. Fletchling was not pleased by this at all.

"Ah! Don't worry Fletchling, I'll get you some more pokemon food. Wherever it is," Ash muttered. Seeing Bonnie too busy calming the sobbing Swinub, he decided to not bother her and look for himself. He checked every cabinet in the kitchen before finally finding the large bag of pokemon food at the top shelf.

"There it is!" He said proud of himself. Ash grabbed the edges of the bag and tugged it out of the cabinet. Although, the bag was shockingly too heavy and Ash accidentally spilled it all out of the floor.

"Nub?" Swinub stopped making a fit when he smelled the pokemon food from afar.

"Fletchling!" The flying type quickly noticed the scent himself. Both pokemon looked at each other before they sped off. Bonnie wasn't fast enough to catch the little guy and she quickly went after him.

"Whoops!" Ash yelped when the bag came crashing down to the floor. Seeing this, Serena quickly came to Ash's aid. However, the damage had already been done. The pokemon food was out of the bag and on to the floor. "Oh man! We got to clean this mess up before Clemont comes back," Ash said in worry as he began to pick up each little piece of food.

"Swinub!"

"Fletchling!"

Before Ash and Serena had any time to react both of the pokemon had already made a dive at the food. Ash gasped, watching the food practically start to disappear thanks to his and Kuzuki's pokemon.

"Nub! Nub!" Swinub started munching happily and at a faster pace. His hunger seemed to surpass Fletchling's as the flying type pokemon got full fast. This meant more for Swinub! Ash laughed at its appetite, clearly reminding him of someone else's Swinub! (A/N: Bonus EXP if you know who it is)

"What's with all the racket?" A voice asked, causing everyone but Swinub and Fletchling to freeze. Luckily, it just turned out to be Kuzuki. Ash let out a relieved sigh and quickly went towards his friend.

"Kuzuki! Thank goodness it's just you. I need your help quick!" Ash pleaded for Kuzuki's help but was crestfallen to see him shake his head.

"Haha! Oh man, is Clemont going to freak when he gets a look at this! You guys are so going to get it!" Kuzuki chuckled at Ash's look of betrayal.

"What!?" Ash growled. "But it's your pokemon that's eating it all!" He accused his friend. Kuzuki had a wide smile plastered on his face seeing Swinub's silly antics

"What? My poor sweet little Swinub did this?" Kuzuki innocently questioned walking towards his gluttonous pokemon. He crouched down and wrapped his arm around Swinub. "You didn't cause any of this, did you Swinub?" The dual type pokemon shook his head and giggled at Kuzuki tickling his belly. Suddenly, Kuzuki gasped loudly.

"What is it?" Bonnie asked. Kuzuki perked up tremendously as the realization went through his brain. Laughing maniacally, he grasped his megaphone and exited the kitchen.

"Huh?" Ash cocked his head in confusion. Serena clenched her fists. This couldn't be good.

"Clemont, come to the kitchen! Quick!" Kuzuki's amplified voice soared through the house along with his fits of laughter. Ash's whole body tensed at this.

"Oh no!" He gasped when he started to hear footsteps quickly approaching. Looking down at the floor, there were still traces of Swinub's mess scattered around the floor. Boy, was Ash going to get it! "Uhh..." Ash panicked, not knowing what to do. Even both Serena and Bonnie looked unsure of the whole situation.

"I knew Kuzuki was going to pull off something like this," Serena quietly whispered, but not low enough since Bonnie heard everything she said. The little girl frowned, what was the deal with her today? Before she had time to thoroughly think it out, Kuzuki came back to the kitchen with a look of satisfaction on his face.

"Kuzuki, how could you!?" Kuzuki waved him off, merely chuckling at his clever thinking.

"Don't worry, everything is going to be alright. Blastoise, use water gun at the floor! When he finishes, Dartrix use Ominous Wind to dry up the water and throw it out the window!" He pointed at the open window and quickly swooped up his sleeping Swinub from the floor with Ash doing the same with his Fletchling. Blastoise shot out a ray of water on the floor clearing up the leftovers and crumbs still laying on the ground. Dartrix then casted an eerie purple atmosphere and flapped his wings. This let the purple wind fly straight the window.

"Wow! The floor looks spotless!" Bonnie said amazed at the shiny floor. Ash gaped at Kuzuki, who in return, gave him a thumbs up. Just then, Clemont walked in the kitchen.

"What's up Kuzuki? You using that megaphone made it sound urgent," Clemont stared at Kuzuki, awaiting a response.

"Yes! It really is urgent," Kuzuki responded seriously. "Serena here has an important question for you!" Kuzuki stated, pushing all the attention towards Serena. She gritted her teeth, watching Kuzuki have that stupid grin on his face, like he always does.

"Well, you see Clemont," Serena started with venom in her words. "I was just wondering where I can sleep." Kuzuki was quite surprised at her quick thinking.

"Oh. Is that it?" Clemont thought about this. "Well I guess you can stay in Bonnie's room if that's okay with you Bonnie." His younger sister was still a little sore about the unkind words Serena exchanged about Kuzuki, but nevertheless, complied. Maybe she was just tired.

"Sure! Kuzuki and Ash can stay with Clemont then!" Bonnie chirped brightly. Clemont nodded enthusiastically. Kuzuki took this opportunity to strike about his sleeping situation.

"Of course, you're going to let me take Clemont's best pillows, aren't you Bonnie?" Clemont let out a loud "huh" at this. "I mean, it would be rude to let your houseguest sleep on the cold hard floor without a comfortable headrest, wouldn't it?" Bonnie's eyes widened at this.

"You're right! It would be impolite of us, especially just for you! You don't mind Clemont, do you?" Bonnie gave her brother a hardened glance when she saw him about to refuse.

"Fine..." Clemont sighed. "Why don't you just take away my bed while you're at it." Clemont instantly regretted saying that.

"Well if you're offering, then yes I will!" The blonde haired boy grumbled and said he was going back to finishing reprogramming Clembot.

"Will you at least put Bonnie to bed for me?" Clemont requested.

"Aww, but I don't want to go to bed!" She cried, scooping about Dedenne in her hands. Clemont placed his hands on his hips and stared at Bonnie sternly. She stared back.

"Come on Bonnie, we should get you ready for bed. You have a big day tomorrow, you don't want to be tired during it, would you?" Kuzuki pointed out. Seeing no way around it, Bonnie sighed in defeat with her head hung low.

"Cheer up Bonnie. What if I read you a story, would that made you feel better?" Kuzuki questioned. The younger sibling let out a cheerful "hooray" and rushed upstairs.

"Well I guess that's that." Clemont stared at Kuzuki for a few seconds before exiting the kitchen once again. Kuzuki turned around and surveyed his pokemon.

"Alright guys, time to get back in your pokeballs!" The group of pokemon groaned at this but did as they were asked. Soon, only Ivysaur and Swinub remained. Kuzuki gazed towards the still sleeping Swinub, still in his arms and smiled. All that food must've worn him out. Petting his head thoughtfully, Kuzuki waved goodbye to Ash and Serena before heading upstairs with Ivysaur following him.

"I guess that goes for you too, Froakie and Fletchling." The flying type pokemon moaned, still feeling the after effects of eating so much food. Froakie remained quiet. Ash called back his pokemon with Serena doing the same.

"Goodnight Serena. See you in the morning." He bid her farewell and climbed up the stairs with Pikachu on his shoulder. Serena soon followed.

* * *

Serena grabbed the door knob and opened it. To her relief, the two weren't in the room yet. Quickly putting on her pajamas, Serena lay down on the far edge of Bonnie's bed. Once the girl heard the door open she quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be fast asleep.

"Wow, your room sure is still as yellow as last time," Kuzuki commented before he noticed that Serena was asleep. "Looks like Serena beat us here. We should be quiet and let her sleep." Bonnie nodded in her Tyrantrum pajamas. Kuzuki said that it resembled her personality prompting her to give him a light punch in the arm. Bonnie took her place in bed and lifted up the covers. Once she got comfortable, she demanded her story as promised for brushing her teeth.

"Alright, let's see what you got here." Kuzuki took a look at the collection of books that were neatly organized in her cabinet. "The Little Tyrantrum that could. Nah, too cheesy. Old McArceus had a farm, too lame. A Kalos Journey? What a dumb title." He kept rummaging through her pile of stories but found all of them boring.

"Well?" She spoke softly, not wanting to disturb Serena's slumber. Kuzuki rubbed the back of his head nervously, tempted to tell Bonnie that her taste in literature was poor. That's when he had an idea.

"Tell you what, I'll make one up right now," Kuzuki offered, sitting at the edge of the bed. Immediately as he did so he felt Serena shift her body further away from him. Bonnie noticed this and looked up at him, expecting an answer. He shrugged and began his story.

"Once upon a time…" Bonnie clicked her tongue.

"Can you not start with once upon a time?" She said irritated.

"Sure, One afternoon, there was a young boy, about six years old. He loved pokemon and the outdoors. Because of this, his parents enrolled him to a summer school. When he got there, he met a girl who seemed too attached to her mother." Bonnie felt the covers being gripped tighter on the other side of the bed as he said this. It made her wonder if Serena really was asleep. She ignored it for now, too intrigued at Kuzuki's story.

"The boy accidentally embarrassed her on the first day. He tried to make it up to her later but she was too stubborn to accept his apology. When he finally did manage to gain her trust, the two spent all of their time with one another. They visited the pool, did activities together, and supported each other every minute. It was until one day that one of them decided to leave the other behind. They didn't see each other ever again, living happily never after." He bitterly finished the story with Bonnie giving Kuzuki a tearful look.

"That wasn't a very good story," She whimpered, not liking the end of it. It also didn't help that Serena practically snatched the whole blanket out of Bonnie's grasp.

"Well…" Kuzuki didn't realize that he went off track there with his story. Getting up, he hauled the blanket off of Serena and put it around the two of them instead of leaving Bonnie shivering during nighttime. Kuzuki held a book in front of his hands. "...how about the Little Tyrantrum that could?"

* * *

"...and the little Tyrantrum lived happily ever after. The end," He finished. Kuzuki closed the book and put it back where it belonged. Bonnie's light snores indicated that she had fallen asleep during the story. Kuzuki gently tucked her in and headed out the door.

"Goodnight Bonnie." He opened the door. "You too Serena." The door shut behind him. Serena flinched with a bit of tears staining her pillow. Feeling sorrowful about how the whole day went, Serena drifted off to sleep, hoping the next day would turn out better.

* * *

 _Serena opened her eyes and saw that she was back at the camp in Kanto._

 _"How did I get back here," She muttered, taking in the old surroundings. Her peers were minding their own business as they did everyday. Suddenly the speakers went off._

 _"Good morning campers!" The voice said from up afar. She recognized it as Professor Oak's. "Today, we'll be learning how to properly feed a pokemon! Be near the main lodge in thirty minutes!" The speakers turned off and the other campers scrambled to their cabins to get prepared. Serena remembered this day clearly._

 _"If Professor Oak just finished his announcement, then that means…." Serena's words drifted off as she felt an arm around her shoulder._

 _"Good morning Siri!" Kuzuki beamed brightly. Serena body tensed at the sudden contact. "Did you hear? I bet you did since Professor Oak's voice was so loud. You know, one day I want my voice to be projected just like that too!" He declared humbly. "Anyway, we're going to feed pokemon! You don't know how excited I am about this!"_

 _"I'm pretty sure I can," She replied, but Kuzuki ignored it._

 _"Come on Siri! We have to get there early! Maybe the professor will let us see the pokemon ahead of time!" He snatched her hand and dragged her to the main lodge. Serena stayed silent, if today was the day Professor Oak brought the three starter pokemon, then that means. "Pick up the pace, I can't drag you the whole way there. I'm not your mom!" Kuzuki teased. Memories came flowing back through Serena at the mention of her mother. She tried to get away but something kept her from doing so. She didn't want to be here again._

 _The walk to the main lodge didn't take long. Kuzuki, like before, let out an elated cry when he saw the three starter pokemon._

 _"Wow! Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur!" Kuzuki exclaimed loudly. Professor Oak, who was getting the pokemon ready to meet the campers turned around to see the two standing there._

 _"Hello there!" Professor Oak greeted. "Did you two decide to see the pokemon early?"_

 _"You bet professor!" Kuzuki's giddy behavior caused the professor to laugh._

 _"Well since you're here now, why don't you come here and meet these three fine pokemon," He suggested. Kuzuki zoomed towards the pokemon and started petting each one. Serena remembered this moment clear as day. She watched as Kuzuki and Bulbasaur made eye contact._

 _"Wow! It's Bulbasaur!" He diverted all of his attention to the grass type pokemon. Professor Oak smiled at this display before he noticed that Serena stood a good distance away from her friend._

 _"Why don't you join your friend? The two pokemon do sure seem disappointed now that he is only playing with Bulbasaur right now." Serena's mind felt like it was about to explode. This is where it all started. She wanted to desperately run away, but instead, felt her body go forward._

 _"Char?" The fire type pokemon saw the new potential friend approaching him and let out a happy cry. Serena tried to force herself not to take anymore steps ahead but to no avail._

 _"No!" Her mouth finally screamed out. As she did so she felt her vision fading. "No…." Serena's vision came back._

 _"I'm still here," The girl uttered with dread in her voice. "And I'm right outside the infirmary." It was then that Serena realised it was still the same day, but later. She found the closest window and peered in. She saw Kuzuki inside, bandaged up and talking to the computer screen with an unfamiliar man on it._

 _"That's right. The professor told Kuzuki that his parents wanted to call him after the whole…" Serena shuddered just thinking about it. "It still amazes me that Kuzuki wanted to keep attending camp." Serena observed the way his head drooped down as his father scolded him. She stopped staring at the inside and sat on the floor with her back against the wall. To this day, she still had no idea what was discussed in the room. However, what she did know is that this was the day that changed everything. Suddenly, the door opened and out came Kuzuki with a blank expression._

 _"Kuzuki..." Serena heard herself say. The boy merely ignored her, his shoulder hitting hers, which prompted the girl to fall down. She watched with tears in her eyes as Kuzuki began running away from her. The water droplets fall free from her eyes, finally came pouring down. Serena cried, with her eyes being covered with her hands._

 _"Char…" Serena froze at the sound. This didn't happen before. Carefully did the girl remove her hands off her face and came in contact with the same Charmander as before. This time it looked angry, really anger._

 _"Charmander!" It roared, casting an Ember attack straight at her._

 _"Ahh!" Serena shrieked._

* * *

Serena let out loud scream! The events from the past still haunting her, but the end was new. Maybe the fire type did really hold a grudge against her after that day. She heard a door being opened wide open.

"Sir-Serena! Are you okay!" The girl found out that she wasn't back in the camp anymore. A low whimper came from beside her. Serena glanced towards that direction and saw Bonnie shaking with the covers clutched tightly in her hands. The little girl gaped frighteningly at her. Kuzuki quickly came to Bonnie's aid.

"Shh, shh. It's alright Bonnie, it's alright." The scream clearly spooked Bonnie out. She gripped Kuzuki's torso in comfort. "Serena was just having a bad dream. Right Serena?" Serena had a choice at this point. The dream brought back bad memories. Unfortunately, just seeing Kuzuki's face brought back worse memories. Silently Serena lay back down and had her back facing the boy. She made up her mind and promised herself to make it up to Bonnie in the morning.

She heard Kuzuki frustratingly sigh at her behavior. This angered her, it's his fault all of this was happening to her. Kuzuki stayed for a while longer until Bonnie eventually fell back to sleep. He then placed her back in her bed.

"Please don't scare Bonnie like that again Serena." He spoke softly before exiting the bedroom.

"Of course you're just worried about only Bonnie."

* * *

Kuzuki walked back into Clemont's bedroom. Ash was, not surprisingly, still asleep, not affected by the scene. His Pikachu was in the same boat with his trainer. Swinub was sleeping peacefully on one of Clemont's pillows that Kuzuki placed him on. Ivysaur was on the bed where Kuzuki was sleeping. He still thought about the whole ordeal and what exactly had gotten Serena so worked up about.

"Ivy?" His pokemon snapped him out of his thoughts. Ivysaur had a very concerned look in his eyes.

"Serena just had a bad dream, at least, that's what I think." Just then Clemont walked in the room with his pajamas on.

"Whew, finally finished," He said. "Anything happen while I was gone?" Clemont asked Kuzuki as he lay on the homemade bed that Kuzuki made him. He was even generous enough to return one of Clemont's pillows to him.

"Yeah, Serena had a nightmare and it spooked Bonnie out." Immediately, Clemont got back on his feet at the mention of his younger sister. "Relax, I went over and got her back to sleep. No need to fret Clemont, trust me," Kuzuki insisted. Taking his word, Clemont laid back on the bed and the two enjoyed the comfortable silence.

"Hey Kuzuki, do you think Ash is sorry about not being able to challenge the Lumiose City Gym?" Clemont asked.

"Yeah, but knowing Ash, he'll want to come back and challenge the gym at a later day. Perhaps when he meets your preference." Clemont looked over at Kuzuki confused. "Well, you did say you prefer challengers with four badges, right? Ash would want to make his friends happy. That's what I'm leaning towards anyway." Clemont chuckled quietly. "Although, I'd say I'm one hundred percent sure that he'd want to battle you instead of Clembot." Kuzuki smirked.

"Really? If that's the case then I'll give him a gym battle that he'll never forget for the rest of his life!" Clemont spoke in a determined tone.

"I'm sure you'll give it your all Clemont. After all, you decided to go aggressive on me when I told you that I didn't have four badges yet. Something about being weak, I presume?" Clemont stammered, trying to give an apology. "I'm just messing with you." Kuzuki laughed softly. Clemont did so too, embarrassed by his own behavior.

"Well, good night Kuzuki."

"Night Clemont."

* * *

 ** _Author's Note: Chapter Two is now completed. We found out what type of pokemon Kuzuki has and his life in between Ash's departure to Kuzuki's arrival in Kalos. We also get a better understanding of Kuzuki's and Serena's history back in camp. More secrets to be uncovered later on, along with the reason of their fallout. Stay tune for Chapter Three: Greedy Ol' Chespin!_**


	3. Greedy Ol' Chespin

_Chapter 3: Greedy Ol' Chespin_

 **"Action!"**

The loud voice stirred Clemont awake. Annoyed about being woke up early, Clemont grumbled and put his glasses back on. The snores of one Ash Ketchum was still prominent. The blonde haired boy wondered how Ash could still be asleep. Still in his pajamas, Clemont went downstairs to see what all the commotion was about. In the living room, he saw Kuzuki who was fully dressed, in front of a video camera.

"...And now the moment you've all been waiting for. Allow me to properly introduce to you guys the most adorable pokemon on my team!" Kuzuki grinned. Ivysaur, who was out of the video cameras range beamed brightly at his kind words and puffed out his chest in pride. The seed pokemon just had to wait for his queue.

"Here's..." Ivysaur began walking forward. "...Swinub!" Kuzuki reached for the dual type pokemon and carried him in his arms for the camera to record. Ivysaur's eyes grew wide open and his jaw fell to the floor. The grass type pokemon stared at his trainer in disbelief.

"Nub! Nub!" Swinub cheered, hopping in Kuzuki's arms.

"As you viewers who tune into my previous recordings should know, I caught Swinub here back in the Johto region. He was chilling in the local mountains and I just knew I had to get him." Kuzuki playfully tickled the dual type pokemon eliciting him to giggle. "But I'm not here just to talk about how amazing Swinub is. Today I'll be proudly showing you viewers a new move that Swinub learned! Are you ready bud?" Kuzuki asked his pokemon.

"Nub! Nub!" He responded eagerly. Swinub hopped off Kuzuki's arms and landed on the floor.

"Now Swinub, use Icy Wind!" Kuzuki commanded.

"Swi…." Swinub inhaled a large breath of oxygen. "...nub!" The pig pokemon unleashed a powerful gust of icy wind that shot towards the wall. The wall then turned frozen. Kuzuki clapped at Swinub's performance.

"Awesome job Swinub!" Kuzuki praised. He then scratched his head in worry "Oh man. We got to defrost the wall before Clemont see's this quick!" Kuzuki began to panic. If only if he had a fire type pokemon to help him deal with this situation faster. Alas, the thought of owning a fire type made shivers go up his spine. Just then, he heard a gasp.

"My wall!" Clemont cried out, running in front of the camera's angle to frantically inspect the frozen wall. The blonde haired boy forgot he was still in his pajamas at the moment. "Kuzuki!" Clemont fumed. Kuzuki and Swinub sweatdropped at the predicament.

"Oh no, we've been spotted." He turned to the video camera. "Stay tune for the next video! Goodby-ah!" Kuzuki yelped as Clemont started chasing him around the room. "Ivysaur! Stop the recording!" Ivysaur sighed, using his vine he stopped the recording. If only if his trainer used him instead of Swinub, none of this would've even happened!

"Get back here Kuzuki!" Clemont growled, having picked up a quicker pace than usual. Kuzuki kept on apologising, trying to convince him that he didn't mean to freeze the wall. He dramatically tripped on Swinub and sprawled on the floor. Kuzuki backed up to the corner mortified as Clemont towered over him. His mechanical Aipom hand popping out as well. However, before he had the chance to inflict any harm on Kuzuki.

"Clemont! Stop!" Bonnie stood in front of Kuzuki to protect him from her brothers wrath! "Why do you want to hurt Kuzuki?" She asked. Clemont called back his mechanical Aipom arm and sighed.

"He froze the wall!" Clemont gestured towards the icy wall.

"Really? Just because of the wall?" Bonnie placed a hand on her hips and looked at her brother unamused.

"Well…" Clemont stuttered seeing how ridiculous his reasoning sounded. "...he woke me up early with his filming!" Bonnie gasped for two reasons. One was because she knew better than anyone else to not disturb Clemont in his sleep. He always started off the morning grumpy if he was awoken without a good reason. The other reason has to do with the video camera set up in the room.

"Wow! Kuzuki, are you making your next Pokevision video!?" Bonnie said elated at the sight. The boy nodded in response. "Can I be in it? Oh pretty please!" She pleaded.

"I just finished the video Bonnie. Maybe next time." Bonnie shrunk down to the floor disheartened by the news.

"You make Pokevision videos?" Clemont was perplexed at the statement. Bonnie immediately perked back up and bombarded her brother with details about it.

"Kuzuki has been making them for a while now. He's been posting videos about his pokemon, his gym battle results, and discoveries…" Bonnie kept babbling on to her brother. Clemont gave a pleading glance at Kuzuki hoping that he'll save him.

"As much as I enjoy your enthusiasm, I'm afraid to point out that my videos aren't all that good. I haven't even made the top ten list yet," Kuzuki admitted lamely.

"But you're always in the top twenty! Even if they don't broadcast your videos in the top ten list people can still watch your videos. You almost got in the tenth position once, only getting eleventh place in the end! That was on your last video too!" Bonnie exclaimed with a big smile.

"Oh wow," Kuzuki responded in surprise. He never really checked the rankings or views that often. His last video had featured him and his Ivysaur trying to teach Blastoise how to use Hydro Pump. Needless to say, it ended with Kuzuki having a blast of water splash throughout his body. Maybe it wasn't in the top ten because of it not being a serious video, the people behind Pokevision probably wanted to air videos that demonstrated what Pokevision was all about. Not just someone who embarrassed themselves. In the end Blastoise did make progress so it wasn't all too terrible.

"Well you two can talk all you want about Pokevision." Clemont headed towards the stairs. "I'm going to get dressed." Bonnie giggled but soon stopped when she saw Serena come in the room. The atmosphere in the room grew tense. Kuzuki began to put his equipment away while Bonnie refused to meet Serena's eye.

"Bonnie," Serena started off. "I'm sorry about last night. It was just a bad dream, honest." Serena noticed how Bonnie still seemed unsure in her apology. "Please Bonnie, what will it take for you to forgive me?" Bonnie finally met Serena's eye with a look of curiosity in them.

"What was your dream about?" She requested quietly. Kuzuki had finished putting all his equipment in his bag and headed upstairs to get the last of his belongings in Clemont's room. The other reason being that he felt it wasn't really any of his business to be in their conversation about last night. Swinub and Ivysaur followed their trainer leaving Serena and Bonnie alone.

"Uh well…" Serena stammered. How was she supposed to tell Bonnie something that haunts her memory each time she thinks about it. As much as she hated it, Serena decided to fib her way out of the truth.

"You see I dreamt about losing Fennekin in the woods. It just pains me to think about losing my partner." In a way she was telling the truth. Without Fennekin she wouldn't even be here and instead be back in Vaniville Town with her mother. Serena thought she was in the clear until she saw Bonnie's face darken.

"Why are you lying Serena?"

"W-what're you talking about? O-of course I'm telling the truth," Serena reassured Bonnie. Just how did she detect her lie?

"But you kept on saying Kuzuki's name in your sleep." Serena froze in place, the color of her face slowly draining.

"T-the thing is he was just helping me find Fennekin! Haha…" Serena hoped that Bonnie wouldn't press more into the ordeal.

"Okay…" Bonnie didn't seem totally convinced at her response but it satisfied her enough to leave it be for now. Ash and Pikachu came rushing down the stairs with Clemont.

"Quick Ash, you got to defrost the wall!" Clemont demanded. Ash chuckled nervously.

"Well you see Clemont, I don't have a pokemon that can easily heat the ice." Clemont groaned. "But Serena's Fennekin can handle this with her ember attack!" Ash pointed out. Serena overheard the two and quickly released Fennekin in an attempt to get Bonnie to forget about their conversation.

"Ken!" The fire type pokemon yipped happily.

"Use Ember on the wall!" Fennekin shot out a fiery sphere at the frozen wall. The impact caused the ice to shattered, making them spread throughout the room in a spectacular fashion. Serena went wide eyed at this.

"Wow that was awesome!" Ash shouted, marveled by the sight.

"After Kuzuki finishes getting his things together we can head out!" Clemont announced cheerfully. Serena let out an irritated noise, looks like she has to deal with traveling with Kuzuki after all.

"If I can, that is," She mumbled secretly to herself. Serena sent Fennekin back into her pokeball. A few minutes later Kuzuki came tumbling down the steps in a hurry.

"Let's go! Quick!" He panicked shoving everyone out of the door along with Ivysaur. Kuzuki ignored their protests until after they were a good distance away from Clemont's house.

"Hey, what's the big deal Kuzuki?!" Ash asked his old friend.

"Uhhh…"

 **Flashback**

 _Kuzuki was in Clemont's room putting the rest of his belongings in his bag. He called Swinub back in his pokeball and zipped his bag._

 _"Well, that's the last of my stuff," He told Ivysaur. "Are you ready to continue our journey?"_

 _"Ivy! Ivysaur!" Ivysaur cried out. Kuzuki opened the door and was greeted by Meyer._

 _"Good morning Kuzuki," He greeted. "Are you and the others ready to head out on your journey?" He asked. Kuzuki nodded. "Well if that's the case…" Meyer's face darkened as he gave Kuzuki a death glare. "If anything happens to my little Bonnie I'll make sure you will pay. Now you listen here son I don't know why Bonnie looks up to you so much but I just know if anything happens to her it'll be because of you!" Kuzuki made a mad dash around him and rushed downstairs. "Hey! You come back here so I can lecture you some more!"_

 **End of Flashback**

"...well let's just say I'm going to take real good care of you Bonnie. You'll be safe under my watch!" Kuzuki stated with a smile. Bonnie glanced at him in confusion. Clemont stared at Kuzuki for a second longer before clearing his throat.

"Yeah, that's my job too," He mentioned sternly. Kuzuki had his hands up to the air.

"I know!" Kuzuki acknowledged meekly. "Just thought I'd let Bonnie know." Clemont nodded slowly and the group started to make their way in the city. Ash felt pumped up about his upcoming gym battle.

"Okay! Cyllage City Gym! You're up next! Here we come!" Ash declared joyfully.

"Pikachu!" The electric type agreed also amped for the battle. Kuzuki smiled at this.

"That goes for us too! Right Ivysaur?"

"Ivy!" Serena was deep in thought as they walked along the sidewalk. Suddenly, an idea popped in her mind.

Serena turned to then others, mainly towards Ash and Clemont. "I have an idea!" She raised her hand. The others looked at her. "Since we're already here in Lumiose City, why don't we go and visit Professor Sycamore before we leave?" Serena suggested.

Clemont liked this plan. "That's a great idea Serena," He chimed in. Kuzuki looked uneasy for a moment. He opened his backpack and took out his video camera.

"Actually I was thinking about heading to the Pokemon Center. I got to go turn in this footage and have it edited." Serena glared at him, angry for opposing her idea. "You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up later. There's no point for me to hold you guys back from your fun," He said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Bonnie frowned. "But you said that you'd travel with us. Now you're going to leave already. No fair!" She pouted.

"I did say that didn't I?" He recalled dejected. "It'll be real quick. Please…"

 ** _Kuzuki uses Pleading Stare!_**

 ** _It's not very effective!_**

"Drats!" Kuzuki snapped his fingers in defeat. He instantaneously got an idea. Kuzuki dug through his pockets and fished out a small round object.

 ** _Kuzuki uses Smoke Bomb!_**

 ** _He missed!_**

"Ah! Bloody murder!" Kuzuki shrieked as the smoke swept right though his eyes. He had intended to drop it near the group but had an error in his miscalculations.

"Ivy! Ivysaur!" The seed pokemon also appeared to be affected by this.

"Oh no Ivysaur!" Kuzuki gasped. He put away his video camera and picked up his pokemon. "We should take you to the Pokemon Center right away!" He bolted towards the direction of the Pokemon Center while occasionally rubbing his eye.

"Wait!" Bonnie stood there dumbfounded. He had managed to get away even if he did mess up his scheme.

"Don't worry Bonnie." Clemont comforted his little sister. "I'm sure he'll meet us in Professor Sycamore's lab when he's done." He then noticed something on the ground where Kuzuki previously stood. There was a wooden basket.

"Hey Clemont. What's in the basket?" Ash asked. Clemont removed the lid of the basket and revealed it as food, but not just any type of food.

"Macarons!" Clemont exclaimed in surprise. Ash, Serena, and Bonnie all shared a similar look.

"Wow! Yummy and pretty too!" Bonnie piped in happily. She decided this was Kuzuki's way in saying sorry for running off. Dedenne poked his head out of Bonnie's satchel and eyed the macarons hungrily.

"I'm sure Kuzuki wouldn't mind if we share them with the professor! After all he made them," Clemont suggested.

"I can hardly wait!" Bonnie commented in joy. Dedenne agreed with her gleefully.

"Alright!" Ash pumped his fist in the air. "Let's go to Professor Sycamore's lab and share the macarons while we wait for Kuzuki!"

"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu agreed with his trainer as they already started to make their way to the professor's lab.

"Kuzuki…" Serena was livid. She had originally planned to make macarons herself yesterday until Kuzuki came. She was so distracted by his presence that she completely forgot to make them! Why did Kuzuki always ruin everything for her!?

"Hey Serena, you coming?" Ash called out from afar. Serena let out a frustrated sigh and began walking.

* * *

"Ack," Kuzuki spat out. He continued to rub his red eyes.

"Ivy…" Ivysaur growled at his trainer's ignorance to his actions. Even though the two had recovered from the situation Ivysaur was still a bit annoyed. Kuzuki smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry Ivysaur. I didn't mean for you to get caught in the mayhem. Here." He stopped walking and put his backpack on the ground. Kuzuki rummaged through his stuff. "I made some macarons earlier in the morning. I know you'll like them."

"Ivy! Ivysaur!" Ivysaur did a handstand to express his happiness.

"They got to be in here somewhere," He whispered to himself. After double checking his backpack Kuzuki zipped it back up and faced his partner. Ivysaur looked up at him curiously.

"Heh heh." Kuzuki shuffled his feet. "Well you see Ivysaur, the thing is. Turns out they fell out of my bag when I put my video camera back in it. I think," He admitted.

"Ivy!" The grass type replied flabbergasted.

Kuzuki consoled his pokemon. "Don't worry Ivysaur. The others must've found it after we left. When we finish our business at the Pokemon Center we can head to Professor Sycamore's lab. They should still have some left by the time we arrive there." Ivysaur nodded, trusting his trainer's words.

The two arrived at their destination and went inside the Pokemon Center. He greeted Nurse Joy and proceeded to go upstairs. There he walked by a corner and saw a man behind behind a counter. He had a cap with a Pokevision symbol on it.

"Excuse me sir." The man averted his attention towards him. "I'm here to turn in my footage for Pokevision." The man smiled.

"Alright. Just hand me your video camera and we'll take care of it from there." Kuzuki tensed up.

"Uh well you see sir." Kuzuki felt his hands shaking as he clutched his camera tightly. "I don't really want anyone touching my personal video camera. It's was a gift from my mother." The man seemed deep in thought. "I can do all the necessary editing though."

"Well alright kid. Just come through the door in the corner and meet me in the studio." Kuzuki graciously thanked the man and went through the door to the studio. There he looked around the room and it looked the same as every other studio in the Pokemon Centers that he has visited.

"Welcome to the studio kid." The man gestured towards one of the devices on the table. "If you'll just plug in your video camera here we can get started." Kuzuki placed his device on the table and plugged it in. The man whistled.

"That's a mighty fine looking video camera you got there," The man complimented.

"Thanks," Kuzuki replied back. "My mother gave this to me because she saw how much I like taking pictures with hers so she bought me one too along with my megaphone." Kuzuki presented the man his grey megaphone.

"Your mom sounds like a generous person." Kuzuki felt his head droop.

"Yeah. I wish I can speak to her again," Kuzuki said with a tone of sadness. The man sensed his mood go down but didn't pry more into it.

"Well since you know what you're doing I'll leave it to you." The man went to another side of the room, most likely reviewing someone else's Pokevision video. Kuzuki stared at the screen where it played his latest video.

"Hey guys, my name is Kuzuki Sakai and this here is my partner Ivysaur! Today…." He paused the video and went right to work.

* * *

"And finished!" Ivysaur lifted his head from the ground. He had gotten a bit bored watching Kuzuki editing that he decided to take a rest. Kuzuki unplugged his video camera from the device and stored it back into his backpack. Kuzuki felt satisfied with the way his video turned out. He thanked the man for letting him do the work by himself and left the studio, leaving the man to turn his video in the Pokevision databanks.

"Sorry that took a while Ivysaur," Kuzuki apologised to his pokemon. "You know how editing can be. Don't worry, we still got those macarons to feast upon." At the mention of the tasty macarons Ivysaur sped down the stairs and out of the building. Kuzuki grinned at his eagerness for the snack.

"Wait up Ivysaur!" Kuzuki called out as he left the building too. He ran across the sidewalk and eventually spotted Ivysaur up ahead. The grass type was pooped out from all the running.

"There you are Ivysaur!" Ivysaur turned around and saw his trainer approaching him. "All that running must've worn you out, huh?" Ivysaur nodded exhaustively. "Well just our luck that Professor Sycamore's lab is just that way!" He pointed to the large building that was surrounded by a gate. The two opened the gate and made their way inside the lab.

"Hello!" Kuzuki called out. No response came. "Anyone here?" Still no answer. "That's weird. The others are suppose to be here. Let's have a look around the lab." Ivysaur nodded and the two checked the entire lab until they made their way to room filled with trees and grass.

"They got to be in here." The two stepped in and were immediately greeted by the distraught group of pokemon living inside the habitat. The Psyduck there reminded Kuzuki of the one Misty had. "Psyduck, do you know where everyone is." Psyduck had its arms on his head and nodded frantically. Psyduck and the other pokemon led Kuzuki towards the end of the habitat where a big hole caught his eye.

"Woah!" Kuzuki ran towards the shattered glass that surrounded the habitat. He noticed the tire marks still present on the floor. "A vehicle smashed its way in here? No sane person would do this, that must mean the others are in trouble!"

"Ivy!?" Ivysaur grew alarmed by his trainer's conclusion.

"Oh man! Meyer is so going to kill me when he finds out that I didn't keep my promise on the first day!" Kuzuki ran outside and was met with a road going two directions.

"How are we going to know which way they went?!" Kuzuki sighed as he sat on the sidewalk, conflicted as to what to do next. That's when he noticed something on the ground. "Are these crumbs?" He grabbed a pinch of it and inspected the mysterious leftovers. "They're macaron crumbs!" Kuzuki shouted in realization.

"Ivy?" At the mention of macarons, Ivysaur came to his trainer's aid and was crestfallen to see that it was just bits of crumbs on the road.

"This has to be mine! If we find where it came from then we'll he able to find the others. More importantly, Bonnie." Kuzuki took out one of his pokeballs and tossed it in the air. "Swinub! Come on out!"

"Nub! Nub!" Swinub greeted his trainer.

"Swinub, smell this!" Kuzuki commanded rather oddly. Swinub did as he was told and immediately recognized the crumbs as macarons! His favorite! "Follow the scent Swinub! I'll reward you with some macarons." Swinub zoomed as fast as lightning towards the direction of the scent. Kuzuki and Ivysaur followed the ecstatic dual type pokemon.

The two ran along the sidewalk and through the forest until Swinub stopped dead on his tracks.

"Swinub!" Swinub started hopping in the air indicating that he spotted something. Kuzuki and Ivysaur stood next to the dual type pokemon and gasped at the sight before them.

"Woah! Is that Blaziken!? Wait no that has to be its mega evolved form! Mega Blaziken!" Kuzuki confirmed in astonishment. "That man is dressed up as one." He looked up and saw the two staring at a direction from afar. He then heard a loud voice.

"Pikachu!"

"That must be Ash! Quick guys, let's get over there!" Kuzuki and his two pokemon dashed towards the voice. There they were met with a large machine that stood in front of an abandoned warehouse. Kuzuki's eyes instantly recognized the symbol on the machine.

"Team Rocket?! What are they doing here? Hold on, is that a Meowth robot!?" Kuzuki felt his head spin at this revelation. He then found Ash and the others staring at the Meowth robot.

"We got to take that machine out! Ivysaur get ready to use Solar Beam!" Kuzuki commanded. Ivysaur nodded and started to charge up his attack. Light particles soon started to flow around Ivysaur's bulb and it started to glow brightly. Swinub started running off towards the warehouse.

"No! Swinub come back!" He said but it was too late. Luckily, Swinub wasn't spotted by the machine. The dual type went behind a rubble of rocks for some strange reason.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur cried out, as if saying that he was ready. Kuzuki took one last glance at the rubble before pointing towards the Mega Meowth machine.

"Now u-huh?!" Kuzuki yelped when he saw a fire attack heading straight towards the machine. This was followed by another flame attack which caused the Mega Meowth robot to turn to a crisp. Kuzuki snapped out of his thoughts and took this opportunity to strike.

"Now Ivysaur! Use Solar Beam!" The bulb on Ivysaur's back opened and a huge beam of light shot through the air and onto the core of the machine. Kuzuki and Ivysaur ran up the path to catch up with their friends. As they were making their way the core of the machine started to boil up and a huge explosion soon followed. Kuzuki could've sworn that he saw four figures blasting off to the air!

"Ash!" Kuzuki shouted. Ash turned around to see his friend running towards him.

"Kuzuki! Ivysaur!" Ash blurted out loudly. This caused the others to face the two as well.

"I finally found you guys!" Kuzuki caught his breath, all the running has taken a toll on him. "You can't believe all the things that I had to go thr-" He was cut off as Bonnie enveloped him into a hug. She looked up at him with teary eyes.

"You said that you were going to look out for me! Those bad people took Serena, Professor Sycamore, and I here and tied us up!" She addressed dramatically.

"Uh well…"

"Serena had to use your macarons to lead Clemont and Ash here to free us!" Bonnie interjected.

"There you have it! I did save you with my macarons. Without them, Ash and Clemont wouldn't have found you guys. In a way I did look out for you," Kuzuki stated proudly.

 ** _Bonnie used Aggressive Punch!_**

 ** _It's sensational!_**

"Ow!" Kuzuki released his hold of Bonnie and held his shoulder painfully. She giggled brightly.

"You wouldn't believe what happened Kuzuki!" Ash exclaimed vocally. "Mega Blaziken and Blaziken Man rescued us from Team Rocket! Then a powerful beam came out of nowhere and ignited the Mega Meowth's core."

Kuzuki nodded. "Yeah I saw that Mega Blaziken back in the forest. Also that powerful beam was Ivysaur's Solar Beam. I saw you guys and thought you all needed some helped." Kuzuki smirked at his friend's shocked expression.

"Wow, that was Ivysaur's Solar Beam!? It has gotten so strong since last time I saw it!" Ivysaur puffed out his chest in pride.

"Yeah." Kuzuki responded bashful at Ash's words. "One question, is that the same Team Rocket, as in Jessie, James, and the talking Meowth?" Ash nodded. "Wow, so they're still following you!? That's insane!"

"Yeah well I got used to it after a while. They followed me to the Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova regions. It looks like they won't stop until they get my Pikachu!"

"Well you're doing a great job protecting your Pikachu if they've been chasing you for that long!" Kuzuki gave a thumbs up to Ash. "What did they want anyways?"

Professor Sycamore cleared his throat and smiled. "I think I can answer that for you Kuzuki." The professor went on to explain that Team Rocket wanted his Mega Evolution secrets for themselves and the Mega Meowth contraption.

"So," Professor Sycamore started with all the explanations aside. "How's your journey going? It's been a long time since I last saw you." Kuzuki took out his badge case and showed it to the professor. "Wow, five badges. Only three more and you can qualify for the Kalos League!" Professor Sycamore acknowledged delightfully. Ash stared at Kuzuki's badges in envy again, only to be replaced with a determined look.

"Yep! I'm actually heading with these guys to Cyllage City and earn the Cliff Badge! Thanks again for helping me register for the Kalos League!"

Professor Sycamore chuckled. "It's no problem at all." He returned the badge case back to Kuzuki. The boy then noticed the pokemon standing next to Clemont.

"Clemont! You got Chespin as your new pokemon!? Awesome!" Clemont shook his head

"Oh no. Chespin isn't my pokemon." Chespin looked at Clemont crestfallen.

"Aw well that's a shame," Kuzuki replied. "That Chespin looks like it really likes you."

"Huh?" Clemont watched Chespin carefully for a minute before speaking to him.

"Is that true?" Clemont asked.

"Ches! Chespin!" Chespin nodded happily. Before anyone had a chance to say anything Kuzuki gasped.

"Swinub! I forgot about you! Please forgive me!" Kuzuki headed towards the rubble where he last saw Swinub. To say that least, he wasn't surprised when he got there.

"Nub! Nub!" Swinub cried out happily as he continued to nibble on one of the macarons. Kuzuki felt like his heart was going to explode at this rate.

"Aww." He smiled, picking up both Swinub and the basket of macarons. "You really are something, aren't you Swinub? Running into danger like that just for one of my macarons?" Swinub graciously let Kuzuki pet him as he ate his delicious macarons.

Ivysaur's eyes widened as soon as Kuzuki came to view again. He saw Swinub eat the macarons that Kuzuki promised him. _His_ macarons were being devoured. Chespin also noticed the macarons but didn't know what to do now. Before he would've ran up and snatch the basket but now he felt conflicted.

"Ivysaur!" The seed pokemon roared, running with his eyes set on the basket. Kuzuki noticed this and tried his best to protect the basket.

"Hold on Ivysaur! Just wait a minute so I can give you yo-woah!" Kuzuki yelped as he felt the basket slip through his grasp and shoot up through the air. How Ivysaur managed to not hit Swinub in the process was beyond him but Kuzuki didn't have time to think about it right now.

"Hm?" The basket ever so delicately landed in the hands of Serena who has stayed silent ever since Kuzuki showed up. She glared at the basket in fury before she heard the tumbling footsteps of pokemon come her way.

"Ivysaur!"

"Swinub!" The dual type pokemon leapt high in the air after he had finished his macaron and started sprinting alongside Ivysaur. Before Serena had a chance to react the two lunged at her, taking the girl down with the basket of macarons!

"Ahh!" Serena shrieked, landing on the ground without the basket in her hands. Everyone gasped.

"Bad Ivysaur! Bad Swinub!" Kuzuki scolded the two pokemon. The seed and the pig pokemon hung their heads in shame. "Are you okay?" Kuzuki crouched down next to her with a concerned look.

Serena laid in the grass with a dazed look. She was furious! It was always Kuzuki's fault whenever bad things happen to her. Him and his stupid pokemon! Oh how she would like nothing more than Kuzuki to leave their group. Everything was going so much better until he decided to show his stupid face. Serena felt like she was about to explode from anger.

"Siri…" Just like that all the anger fled away and was filled with sorrow. "...can you hear me Siri?" There he went again. Using that name, the name that she used to adored. Serena looked up, although her vision was blurry she can still make out Kuzuki's figure. He was crouched down and put out a hand out in front of her. She could just barely make out his smile.

"You took quite the tumble."

Oh how the nostalgia hit her hard after that.

 **Flashback**

 _Young Serena sat on one of the benches. She was still getting a few snickers here and there after the events of the previous day. That boy, he made her fall on the ground at the cafeteria and got all the kids laughing at her. Naturally, she wasn't all too pleased with him right now._

 _That was why she was avoiding everyone until everything died down. Serena thought she was doing a good job at it too. That was, until._

 _"Hey, you're that girl from the cafeteria yesterday!" The voice said. Serena grabbed the sides of her straw hat and pulled it as low as she could to cover her face. "Woah! Where did she go!? I could've sworn she was just here!" The girl couldn't believe that she was about to pull this off. When she didn't hear the voice anymore she promptly lifted her hat on top of her eyes again and was greeted by a set of chocolate brown eyes._

 _"Hello there!" He greeted. Serena flinched back in surprise. "You're that girl from yesterday, aren't you? Well just so you know I didn't mean to scare you like that." Serena glared at the boy and turned her back against him. "Oh come on! I said I was sorry. You got to believe it was only because I wanted your sandwich!"_

 _"Liar," Serena answered coldly, heading back to her cabin. Kuzuki made it his mission to gain her forgiveness._

 _"I'm not lying, honest! Oh where are my manners!" The boy halted himself in front of Serena and smiled. "My name is Kuzuki Sakai! What's yours?" He asked holding out his hand for her to shake. Serena merely huffed and continued walking. "That's not fair! This is the part where you introduce yourself and we become best friends. You can't just walk away!"_

 _"Watch me," She challenged, still making her way towards her cabin. Kuzuki kept pestering her with questions until finally she arrived at her cabin._

 _"You're in the Bulbasaur Cabin? Neat, you know I always liked them more than the other two starters."_

 _"No I wouldn't like to know. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going back inside my cabin." She opened the door and almost went inside before she felt someone push her aside._

 _"Oh hey sorry about th-oh wait it's you Serena!" One of her cabin roomates exclaimed. "Thanks to you we're the laughing stock at camp!" She said annoyed. She towered over Serena who was still on the ground. Another one of her cabin roommates came out to see what all the fuss was about. This one seemed a lot older than the two._

 _"What's with all the noise?" She questioned. Serena looked relieved to see her._

 _"Clumsy Serena is back," The other cabin roommate answered back._

 _"Ditzy Serena, hmm?" The older one replied. "Thanks to you the other hot counselor in Charmander Cabin doesn't even want to talk to me anymore! You should know not to make a fool of me kid."_

 _"Yeah!" The other cabin roommate shouted._

 _"Shut up!" The older one snapped. "Don't make me angry too. Grab her one of her wrists. Help me teach her a lesson to not make a mockery of me again!" The older one snatched one of Serena's wrists while the other one grabbed her other wrist._

 _"Let me go!" She cried with tear spilling out of her eyes. "Please! I'm sorry, it'll never happen again! I swear!" Serena pleaded._

 _"Sorry isn't going to cut it kid." They started hauling back into her room. That was until Kuzuki decided to step in._

 _"Hey, leave her alone!" Kuzuki yelled out. The older girl sneered at the boy._

 _"Oh yeah? Or what?"_

 _"Or else, uh…" Kuzuki hadn't really been expecting that counter. "...or else I'll tell Chad from Weedle Cabin that you've been secretly stalking him when he's not looking!" The older girl's eyes widened in fear._

 _"How do you know that you little brat!" She hissed. Kuzuki narrowed his eyes at her. "Fine, take this mistake of a cabin mate back. You're both no longer welcome here." She and the other one tossed Serena to the floor. The girl in the straw hat landed on her stomach from the fall. The two girls from Bulbasaur Cabin slammed the door soon afterwards._

 _"Tch. What a bunch of meanies," Kuzuki muttered bitterly. Serena sniffled, staring at the ground with tears pouring down her eyes. She didn't mean to make them so upset. Now she had nowhere to go. How Serena wished that she was back in Kalos with her mother._

 _"Hey, can you hear me?" She slowly lifted her head. Her vision blurry from all the tears. "You took quite the tumble, here let me help you up." He outstretched his hand. Instead of taking his hand, Serena hugged him tightly while crying into his shoulder. She kept on saying "thank you" in the midst of things._

 _"Hey don't worry about it. It was the least I can do, after all it was my fault to begin with," He reminded her._

 _"Yeah, but you helped me in the end. That's all that matters." She wiped her tears with her hands and let go of Kuzuki._

 _"We should go find Professor Oak. He'll help us find you a better cabin," He suggested, already walking to the direction of the main lodge. "He can help us get your stuff back later." Serena still followed gratefully._

 _After a minute of walking Serena spoke again. "Serena," She said._

 _"Huh?"_

 _"That's my name, Serena," She replied. Kuzuki grinned and outstretched his hand once more. This time Serena happily shook it._

 _"You know Siri," Kuzuki started. "I just know we'll be the best of friends._ "

 _"Siri?" She asked in confusion._

 _"Yeah. It's sounds better," He replied. "Also, it'll remind me to get serious when I have to," He joked lamely. Serena laughed for the first time since she arrived at camp. Even if she did hate his guts earlier, she felt like she could trust him after he saved her from whatever her cabin roommates were going to do with her. Was this how it felt to have a friend?_

 _Serena hummed merrily as the two walked without another words._

 **End of Flashback**

"Heh, now that I think about it, this does seem familiar. Doesn't it?" Kuzuki mentioned. Serena sniffled, almost taking Kuzuki's hand until she extracted her hand back.

Kuzuki rolled his eyes. "Tsk, that's right. You'll only hold your mother's hand, wouldn't you?" Serena shook her head and got up by herself wondering if she made the right choice or not. In the end she decided that she did. What Kuzuki did would never be forgivable in her world.

"Even if it may've been my fault," Serena whispered quietly to herself when Kuzuki was a good few feet away from her.

"Now you listen here Ivysaur and Swinub." The two pokemon shook in fear. "What you two did could've seriously hurt someone. I don't think I could handle the guilt of hurting someone because of my two pokemons behavior. Especially if it's Siri," He quietly said the last part to himself. "As punishment for your actions you both won't be receiving anymore macarons!" The two protested.

"Swinub!" Swinub looked like he was about to cry.

"Ivy! Ivysaur!" Ivysaur was the same especially since he never even got to eat one in the first place! He was waiting all day to receive one.

"Instead, it will go to Chespin," Kuzuki declared as he placed the basket in front of Chespin. "He's been waiting patiently unlike you two misbehaved pokemon. Don't think I didn't noticed the look in your eyes when you saw the macarons. Not such a Greedy Ol' Chespin, are you?" Kuzuki teased.

Chespin looked at the basket and at everyone else. On one side he wanted to do nothing more than to eat all of them. On the other he thought back to what Clemont said earlier.

"Chespin!" He handed a macaron to Clemont. Then he started sharing them with everyone else. Ivysaur and Swinub graciously thanked Chespin for his kind gesture.

"Be careful Chespin, there may not be any left for you," Clemont said with a laugh.

"Alright you two don't expect Chespin to save your sorry butts all the time," Kuzuki reminded his two pokemon. "Looks like I'm going to have to teach you two some manners." The two groaned at this. "Don't think I won't take away your macaron privileges. That goes the same with pokepuffs!"

"Swinub!"

"Ivysaur!" The two squeaked out in fright.

* * *

The group made it back to Professor Sycamore's lab where there were people cleaning up the mess that Team Rocket made.

"Thank you all for your help. Thanks to you I'm free again!" The professor laughed heartily.

"Yeah but your research lab is destroyed again," Ash noted. Professor Sycamore waved this off.

"No need to fret. It'll be all fixed up by the two you all come back to visit again!" He reassured everyone.

"Maybe without Team Rocket kidnapping you," Kuzuki joked. "I guess we better get going then, it's getting late."

"It was great to see you again!" Clemont bid farewell until Bonnie caught his attention.

"Um, big brother. Look over there, its been watching us." She pointed over to Chespin who has been standing next to a bush.

"You were a big help today Chespin. I hope that I'll see you again!" This caused Chespin to worry. Kuzuki nudged Clemont's shoulder.

"I'm pretty sure that that little guy wants to travel with you Clemont."

"You know, Clemont," Professor Sycamore added in."It seems to me that Kuzuki is right. Chespin wants to go with you. It's an amazing thing to see with the likes of you and Ash when you're together!" Clemont was stunned at this before he felt his little sister tug his jumpsuit.

"Clemont? I want to travel with Chespin together! Please, please, please?" She begged her brother.

"Well, would that really be okay? Is it alright if I bring Chespin with us?" Clemont asked.

"Of course! After all, that's what Chespin wants!" Professor Sycamore replied. He pulled out a pokeball. "I happen to have Chespin's Pokéball right here with me! It's yours." Professor Sycamore handed the Pokéball to Clemont.

Clemont smiled and hurriedly made his way over to Chespin. "So, Professor Sycamore says that it's okay for you to travel with us!" Clemont exclaimed.

"Ches! Chespin" Chespin cheered, jumping in the air with joy. Clemont returned Chespin back into his pokeball and grinned while holding it.

"Yes! Today is a great day because of science! I caught a Chespin!" Clemont said, elated at his newest pokemon.

"Chespin's a keeper too!" Bonnie chimed in. Ash smiled at the two and rearranged his hat.

"Now it's time for us to be heading off to Cyllage City! Goodbye Professor Sycamore!" Ash waved off before he rushed out of the gates along with Pikachu.

"See you later Professor!" Kuzuki followed Ash's lead with Ivysaur behind him.

"Time for an adventure!" Bonnie cried out.

"Goodbye!" Clemont and Bonnie left to catch up to the two trainers.

"Bye," Serena said quietly and soon caught up with her friends. They all left to find a place to stay for the night while a conversation sparked between the three boys. Ivysaur and Pikachu also seemed to have a talk themselves. Bonnie listened on as the three talked about their plans once they arrive at Cyllage City. The younger girl then noticed Serena walking behind them but not as far as she used to keep herself away. In fact, it was relatively closer towards the group than before.

"Well it's a start," Bonnie quipped before giggling at Kuzuki's comment about his Swinub not being fat.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note: Chapter Three is done. A bit more info on Kuzuki and Serena's past friendship is revealed. Serena is warming up a tad bit towards Kuzki but nowhere near the level of friendship that they've once previously shared. Far from it. Also, more of Kuzuki's pokemon will be featured in the upcoming chapter. Stay tuned for Chapter Four: To Save a Pangoro!_**


	4. To Save a Pangoro

_Chapter 4: To Save a Pangoro_

The group of five were traveling to Cyllage City until they came across a bamboo forest.

"Pika. Pika." Pikachu's stomach growled.

"I think Pikachu's got the right idea. I'm starving!" Ash said clutching his stomach for extra effect.

"Aw come on guys! Let's keep on going." Kuzuki noticed that no one was walking anymore. Instead, they all sat down on a bench that was conveniently placed on the ground.

Bonnie looked at Clemont. "Clemont, can we have lunch here?" She asked.

"That's a great idea! I'll get right on it." Clemont started rummaging through his bag looking for his cooking materials. Ash and Serena sat on one side of the table while Clemont and Bonnie were on the other side.

"Er…" Kuzuki noticed that there was no room for him. "Well I guess I could eat later." Ivysaur started to protest. "We should do some special training while we wait Ivysaur." Kuzuki winked at his pokemon.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur exclaimed excitedly. This caught Ash's attention.

"You still have your special training Kuzuki? Are you ever going to tell me what you and your pokemon do?" Kuzuki shook his head with a grin.

"Special training?" Bonnie questioned.

"Yeah ever since we began our journey, Kuzuki has been running off to do some special training every now and then," Ash replied. "I've asked him a couple of times if I could join but he's says it's top secret!"

Kuzuki nodded. "Very top secret. It's what helped me beat you in the Indigo Plateau Conference after all." Kuzuki smirked. Now Ash was more curious.

"What! Really? Now you have to let me in, please?" Ash pleaded. Kuzuki decided to pretend to not hear him and walked further into the bamboo forest. Ash sighed in disappointment.

"The Indigo Plateau Conference?" Serena finally spoke up. She felt like she could finally relax. "Is that what they have back in Kanto?"

"Yeah, Kuzuki beat me in the fifth round. I was in the top sixteen while he made it to the top four. He lost to someone named Assunta." Ash then smirked. "But I technically beat him in some sort during the Silver Conference in Johto."

"How did you technically beat Kuzuki?" Clemont asked as he began stirring the metal pot. Serena and Bonnie were making sandwiches while also listening into the conversation.

"Well you see." Ash laughed nervously. "We both won the semi-final rounds from each of our blocks and were scheduled to face each other in the first round of the Victory Tournament but Kuzuki got disqualified before our match began." Bonnie and Clemont gasped.

"He got disqualified?! Did he do something awful?" Bonnie asked.

"Er, not exactly. One of the official rules is that you can't battle outside the match. Kuzuki battled this guy when he kept making fun of his pokemon. Before he could beat him an official came and disqualified them both. Instead, I battled my rival at the time, Gary Oak," Ash finished with a wandering tone in his voice.

Clemont started to put the food that he was stirring in bowls. "So Kuzuki never got the chance to fully prove himself in the Johto League after all that work," Clemont said with sympathy for Kuzuki. Ash nodded solemnly.

"Yeah and I was looking forward to our rematch. Afterwards, he got a call from his dad." This got Serena's attention. "He never told me what they talked about. All Kuzuki said was that he was heading back to Kanto."

"Did he…" Serena started before she stared down at her feet. "...nevermind." The group went silent after that. They began to eat their meal in peace with their pokemon. A million different thoughts started to roam in her mind. The situation that Ash mentioned was eerily similar to one of her past experience. Before she had the chance to think more about the possible outcomes their pokemon, minus Chespin stopped eating.

 _ **Elsewhere…**_

"Ahhh." Kuzuki sighed happily. "This is the perfect weather for this, huh Ivysaur?"

"Ivysaur!"

The two lay on the top of the mountain in peace. The patch of grass was lacking with only a couple of bamboo sprigs sprouting from it. The two thought that no one will find them during their _'special training'_ until the inevitable happened. An explosion rang off.

"Pika!" He heard a voice yell as it soared through the air. Kuzuki presumed it to be Ash's Pikachu. With the help of Ivysaur's vine whip, Kuzuki got down the mountain and made his way over to where the voice came from.

After a minute of running he spotted Pikachu on the grass with a dazed look on his face.

"Pikachu!" Kuzuki called out. Pikachu shook his head before seeing Kuzuki. The tiny mouse pokemon quickly ran up to him.

"Pika! Pika!" He cried out before running off. Kuzuki took this as a sign to follow him. They ran until they came across a river.

"Froakie!" Kuzuki saw the water type pokemon there. Pikachu started to speak with him until they sped off. Kuzuki sighed, already a bit worn out from the running. Reluctantly, he started following them. Once he reached the two pokemon he spotted Chespin with his head buried in the dirt.

"Hang in there Chespin." Kuzuki grabbed the grass types body and pulled him out. Chespin graciously thanked him with a smile. As the pokemon talked amongst themselves Kuzuki heard something from up above. It was a Meowth.

"Hey you!" The Meowth said. "You're that twer-er I mean guy that traveled with Pikachu and the others back in Kanto!" Meowth exclaimed. "Could you do an old pal a favor and get me down."

Kuzuki narrowed his eyes. "I don't know, after all you and the other two always tried to take my pokemon. Why should I help you?" Pikachu, Froakie, and Ivysaur agreed with the boy.

"Ches! Chespin!" Cheslin quickly used his pin missiles and destroyed the tree branch that Meowth was stuck in. The talking pokemon face planted in the ground as a result of it. His head got stuck in the ground much like Chespin.

"Well, I guess we're helping him after all," Kuzuki muttered, not liking how Chespin made the decision without anyone's consult. He then began to pull out Meowth from the ground. With that all set aside, Meowth faced the trainer and pokemon.

"Thanks, all you lugs! What do you say we call it a truce, pal?" Meowth extended his paw for Pikachu to shake. The electric type smiled and was prepared to shake it until Meowth grabbed his paw and started shaking him up and down.

"I knew I could count on you because that's the way you roll!" Pikachu, not liking it, let out an electric shock. Meowth shrieked as he got electrocuted and he fell on the floor.

"Hey!" He stood back up. "What was that for!? I was paying you a compliment!" Pikachu apologised. "Well just as long as you understand." He had an obnoxious grin on his face before letting out a chuckle.

"Uh, what was that all about?" Kuzuki asked, catching the talking pokemon's weird behavior. Froakie was also suspicious. Pikachu and Chespin reassured both of them, trusting Meowth at the moment.

"Pikachu." Meowth seemed pleased at this. "I'm so glad you and Chespin choose to trust me."

"Dude, you have that look on your face again," Kuzuki commented. Meowth let out a yelp at this.

"No no! You got the wrong idea. I'm just so grateful that I got pals like you all!" The Team Rocket member smiled. Kuzuki narrowed his eyes causing Meowth to smile even harder.

"You know Meowth, if you really want my trust then I got one request."

"Sure! Anything to get you to believe my word!"

"I want you to tell me…" Kuzuki stepped back so that Ivysaur was in the view. "...why does Ivysaur like macarons more than the food I put so much work into and he doesn't even eat it!"

"Wha?" Meowth sputtered. "That's it?" Kuzuki nodded with a grin. "Well Ivysaur? Why do you?"

"Ivysaur." Ivysaur glared at Meowth, still not trusting him. While the rest of his friends talked to Meowth, Ivysaur observed him like a hawk.

"Come on Ivysaur. Do it for me at least," Kuzuki begged.

"Ivy." The seed pokemon sighed. "Ivy Ivysaur Ivy!" Meowth gasped in horror.

"Wow! Did your mother kiss you with that mouth?! How could you say those rude things about your trainer!" Meowth exclaimed. Pikachu, Chespin, and Froakie also looked at Ivysaur in surprise.

"What? What did he say!?" Kuzuki demanded. Meowth exchanged glances with the other pokemon.

"I think it's best not to tell you."

"Why!?"

"Because…" Meowth couldn't find the right words to say. "It'll hurt your feelings! What kind of pal would I be if I do that to you." Meowth mentally patted himself in the back for his clever thinking.

"Oh well." Kuzuki stared at the ground in disappointment. "Will you at least tell me by giving me a thumbs up or down?" Meowth gave him a thumb sideways. "I guess that's not that bad!" Kuzuki beamed brightly.

"You have no idea," Meowth muttered to himself.

"Now Pikachu, is there anyone else that came with you?" Pikachu alerted him with a bunch of nonsense that he didn't understand. "Meowth?" The talking pokemon took the hint.

"Pikachu said that Fennekin is still out there," Meowth replied.

Kuzuki had a conflicted look on his face. "Hmm, alright. Let's go find Fennekin!" The others cheered and started walking deeper in the bamboo forest. The pokemon, minus Meowth, leaded the way.

"So Meowth," Kuzuki quipped. "How's Jessie and James been? I thought they'd be here with you." Kuzuki readjusted his crimson beanie as Meowth talked.

"We're doing alright. Although, we've had an argument about…" Meowth hesitated at telling Kuzuki the real reason why they're all out here in the first place. He might lose the trainer's trust. "...which one of us is the better member of our group." In a way, Meowth was telling the truth after all.

"Between you and me I think the one who makes the plan is the real mastermind of a group. Without it you'd have a bunch of idiots running around aimlessly," He finished with a wink. Meowth genuinely smiled at this.

"You're speaking like it's out of experience," Meowth pointed out.

"Well, I have my own fair share of devious master plans. You can't expect me to not have something up my sleeve after all." Before Meowth had time to think about what Kuzuki really meant by his words, the other pokemon called for their attention and pointed up ahead. The group of pokemon and the human finally found Fennekin sitting by a stream of water. She looked glum for some reason.

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked happily. The others followed in pursuit with Kuzuki, Meowth, and Ivysaur falling back behind a bit. Fennekin perked up at seeing her friends until Meowth came to view.

"Looks like you got to gain her trust too." Kuzuki patted Meowth's back and motioned him towards the fire type pokemon. Pikachu and Chespin were trying to convince Fennekin that Meowth was good.

Meowth put on his best smile. "Dig! From now on we're the best of friends! What do you say?" Fennekin believed Meowth and smiled before she set her eyes on the trainer.

"What up?" Kuzuki said casually. Pikachu tried to calm down the fire type pokemon but failed. Fennekin started yipping at Kuzuki angrily.

"Wow! And I thought Ivysaur had a foul mouth!" Meowth said in shock. Fennekin turned her attention to Ivysaur and started yelling at him too. The seed pokemon decided to defend his trainer.

"Ivy! Ivysaur!" Ivysaur retorted back. Everyone but the human gasped.

"Oh wow! This is getting good!" Meowth acknowledged cheekily. He didn't know why Kuzuki and this Serena girl have an issue, judging by Fennekin's statement, but he was getting one heck of a show!

"Ivy?" Ivysaur took a quick glance at Fennekin's tail before laughing. Fennekin turned red in embarrassment and prepared to use Ember on Ivysaur. Ivysaur noticed this and pulled his vine whip out.

"Hey hey hey! Stop fighting you two. Ivysaur, we've had a long talk about manners and it seems like you haven't learned anything." Ivysaur hung his head down in shame and muttered an apology.

"Fenn." Fennekin stared at her ruined tail sadly. Meowth noticed this.

"Your fluffy little tail got all dirty, so you want to clean it?" Fennekin nodded. "You really like to look good, don't you?"

"Aha!" Kuzuki shouted loudly. He put his bag down and searched in it. "I knew that this would always come in handy!" Kuzuki took out an expensive looking brush along with a spray bottle full of water. Fennekin looked at the brush as if it was her best friend. "If you don't mind." Fennekin weighed in her two options before reluctantly deciding to accept the boy's offer.

Kuzuki started to make small talk as he sprayed a few squeezes of water on her tail. "Swinub always likes to roll on the grass and mud. His fur gets all dirty each time so I bought these to keep him in tip-top shape." He began to brush her tail. "We sometimes do contests whenever they're around but very rarely. I'd say I've only done three in total. I haven't won a single one, though they are a lot of fun. Swinub is my main attraction so it's best to keep him in his best condition."

"Fenn!" Fennekin yipped graciously as she admired her tail. It looked better than ever, but she wasn't going to let her trainer know that. The other pokemon complimented on how great her tail looks.

"Now." Kuzuki put his things back in his bag. "We should get going and find the others. They must be worried sick about you guys." The others agreed and continued their search.

Fennekin kept on stealing glances towards Kuzuki. He seemed nice enough to her, so why does her trainer despise him? His Ivysaur was rude to her sure but she was the one who started it. The seed pokemon was just defending his trainer as Fennekin would do the same. Confused by all of this the fire type pokemon wanted something to keep her distracted. This came in the form of a twig.

"Fennekin." She munched on the twig in content.

"It's a twig!" Meowth exclaimed. "Is it really that good?" Chespin saw this as an opportunity to eat once more. Last time he was rudely interrupted from his lunch because of Team Rocket. Picking up another twig on the ground, he excitingly put it in his mouth expecting it to be a tasty treat. Instead.

"Ches! Pin! Pin!" The starter pokemon spat out the twig and flung it in the air never wanting to see it again. The twig bounced off a couple of bamboo plants before it met its unintentional target.

"Pan!" A voice roared out, frightening everyone.

"Cranky pants!!" Meowth yelped. He sped off in order to avoid the Pangoro. Kuzuki took out one of his pokeballs and tossed it in the air.

"Blastoise! Come on out!" Kuzuki yelled.

"Blast!" Blastoise cried out. The water type pokemon then notice the Pangoro charging towards them. Although Pangoro was still taller than Blastoise, the shellfish pokemon didn't let that bother him and he got into battle stance.

"Alright Blastoise! Use water gu-" Kuzuki's command was cut of by a swarm of Pin Missiles flying from up above and hitting Pangoro! Chespin had fired the attack out of fright. The Pangoro stopped charging, taking in the effects of the attack.

Meowth observed how the two Panchams were concerned for Pangoro. "It looks like they're pals!" He commented in fright.

Pangoro gritted his teeth and turned his attention to Chespin. Suddenly, the plant in Pangoro's mouth burnt into a crisp and he slumped to the floor in a depressed manner.

"Chespin?" Chespin along with everyone else seemed confused as to what happened. Blastoise grunted, mildly annoyed that Chespin took out his opponent! The two Panchams started yelling at Chespin.

"Pikachu!" A voice called out. Everyone turned around and saw their trainer's headed their direction.

"Pika!" Pikachu was delighted to see Ash again. Meowth on the other hand was alerted by his presence.

"It's the twerp!" He said with his fists clenched. Soon the other pokemon reunited with their trainers.

"Heh, twerp." Kuzuki chuckled, amused at how Meowth didn't look so friendly anymore.

"Kuzuki!" Ash shouted in surprise. "I thought you were off doing special training."

"I was but I heard Pikachu yelling in the air so I went over to check out what the deal was. What were you guys thinking? Leaving your pokemon out here by themselves."

Ash grew agitated at Kuzuki's claim. "We didn't dump our pokemon out in the forest. Team Rocket took them!" Kuzuki gasped.

"Meowth.." The talking pokemon began to tremble. "..you played me like a fool." Kuzuki smirked. "Nice."

"Huh?" Meowth asked, wondering if he heard that right. The others finally noticed Meowth's presence. They demanded to know what he was doing with their pokemon. "Now, don't get all bent out of shape! The problem is this big lug." He gestured towards the weakened Pangoro. While Ash scanned the Pangoro with his pokedex, Kuzuki called Blastoise back into his pokeball, thanking him for trying to protect them.

"I think it's Chespin's fault! You see, Chespin has broke Pangoro's leaf sprig!" Meowth informed the others. Kuzuki let out a yawn, feeling worn out. He laid down on the soft grass and closed his eyes. Ivysaur took a seat next to his trainer and listened on to the conversation that the others were having.

"...we've got to find the bamboo sprig!" Clemont declared.

"The bamboo sprig?" Kuzuki asked with his eyes still shut. "I saw one of those up a mountain. Not too far from here."

"Really?" Bonnie gave Kuzuki a questioning glance. "I thought you were doing special training." Kuzuki's eyes opened and he nervously explained himself.

"I was! I was on the mountain doing special training and I just so happened to spot the bamboo sprig. I'm sure one of the Panchams can show you the way!" Kuzuki forced a laugh.

"Pancham!" One of the Panchams confirmed his story and was ready to direct the group to the location.

"I'll stay here!" Meowth announced. "I'm worried about Pangoro." Everyone didn't seemed convinced at his reasoning.

"What? You worried?" Serena questioned.

"Hey I have a heart," Meowth responded.

Kuzuki chuckled darkly. "Yeah, unlike some people here."

Serena glared at the boy with his back on the grass. She could tell who that comment was directed to.

"Kuzuki, you coming?" Ash asked. Kuzuki waved him off.

"Nah, I've already had enough adventure for today. I'll keep an eye on Meowth if you're all so bent up about it." Kuzuki relaxed on the grass once more. Ivysaur rolled his eyes.

"Ivy!" The seed pokemon protested.

"Huh? You really want to go Ivysaur?" Ivysaur nodded. "I guess you can go. Ash, do you mind looking after Ivysaur?"

"If that's what you want," Ash said. "Come on guys! The sooner the better!" Everyone agreed and they followed one of the Panchams.

Kuzuki let out a happy sigh, enjoying the silence. His mind drifted off elsewhere.

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Young Kuzuki sat on the grass and watched the clouds go by. It wasn't his cup of tea to go cloud watching but the plans for today got cancelled so there was nothing to do._

 _"Ugh! So boring!" He drawled out, rolling on the grass in boredom. Kuzuki had really been looking forward to going on a hike trail but the Camp Counselor Chad just had to get a cold. Kuzuki didn't understand why they couldn't have gone without him. Apparently he was some kind of specialist in Botany._

 _"Whatever that means," Kuzuki muttered. He felt like he was about to explode from all the boredom._

 _"Hello Kuzuki," A voice greeted. Kuzuki lifted up his head to see Serena staring down at him. "What are you doing today?"_

 _Kuzuki let out a groan. "Nothing. Just cloud watching Siri." Kuzuki went back to staring at the fluffy white clouds._

 _"Oh." Serena looked up at the clouds for a minute before clicking her tongue. "This isn't very fun." Kuzuki sat back up in an instant._

 _"Exactly! I don't know how those people over there find this exciting." The boy pointed at the kids over at the left. They had acquired some binoculars and pointed towards some clouds._

 _"Well let's try harder," Serena suggested, having a seat on the grass next to her friend. The two gazed at the upcoming cloud._

 _"Holy moly! That cloud looks like a…." Kuzuki faked his enthusiasm. "..cloud." Kuzuki stood up and got ready to leave._

 _"Kuzuki! Wait!" Serena called. "I was thinking that we could go do some arts and crafts! I love making such wonderful creations."_

 _Kuzuki wanting to get out of a boring day agreed and the two walked off._

 _ **End of Flashback**_

"Hmm," Kuzuki grumbled. The clouds up in the sky were once again meaningless to him. His attention immediately turned to the rustle in the bush.

"I'll go check it out," Meowth insisted. Kuzuki nodded and stood up, dusting some of the dirt off his shorts. Meowth looked like he was having a conversation with whatever was in the bush. He presumed it to be a pokemon. Kuzuki then looked at the Pangoro who was still not moving. The Pancham next to him was doing its best to comfort the big guy.

"Don't worry little guy," Kuzuki comforted the worried Pancham. "My friends are going to get that bamboo sprig and help out your friend. They're one of the most reliable people I know and that's a fact." The Pancham smiled sadly before a net was flown across the garden and trapped both the Pancham and Pangoro!

"What!" Kuzuki shouted out. He heard a chorus of laughter coming from behind him.

"Thanks for the Pangoro Kanto twerp. That Pancham is just a bonus for our organization." Kuzuki recognized that voice.

"Team Rocket!" Kuzuki sneered. Team Rocket all had grins on their faces because of their successful capture. Kuzuki mentally facepalmed. Why did he even trust Meowth?

"Meowth! Go tie them up. I'll deal with this twerp!" James announced, taking out his pokeball. "Inkay! Come on out!" The revolving pokemon let out a cry of triumph.

"Roger!" Meowth saluted, running to the two pokemon with rope in his paws.

Jessie seemed nerved. "Aw! But I wanted to test out my new pokemon!" Jessie whined. James rolled his eyes.

"Who said that we weren't going use Pumpkaboo?" James responded with a wicked grin.

"Always never playing fair, I like it!" Jessie took out her pokeball. "Say hello to my new catch of the day! Now, Team Rocket is stronger than ever!" Jessie declared as her Pumpkaboo appeared. Kuzuki let out a grunt at the unfair advantage.

"Alright then, Blastoise! Take charge!" Kuzuki called out his water type pokemon.

"Pumpkaboo, use Leech Seed!" Pumpkaboo released a swarm of seeds out of its mouth directed at Blastoise! Kuzuki already very familiar with this move had a counter.

"Water Gun! Let's go!" Blastoise shot a beam of water which knocked the seeds out of the path. "Now use Tackle on Pumpkaboo!" Blastoise began charging towards Pumpkaboo.

"Nice try! Pumpkaboo use Shadow Ball!" The pumpkin pokemon shot a dark sphere towards Blastoise.

"Blastoise, quick use Tail Whip to deflect the attack and don't stop charging!" As soon as the Shadow Ball neared the water type his tail began to glow. His tail made a direct hit at the Shadow Ball and deflected it back to Pumpkaboo! Jessie gasped when the attack hit her pokemon causing it to have a dazed look on its face. Blastoise kept charging forwards.

James, seeing Pumpkaboo in a vulnerable state, stepped in to assist Jessie. "Oh no you don't! Inkay, use Psybeam!" Kuzuki seeing this had a strategy of his own.

"Blastoise, dodge it!" The shellfish pokemon sidestepped out of harm's way. "Use water gun on Inkay!" Another beam of water was shot out and made a direct hit! Inkay crashed down to the ground in pain. "Keep charging at Pumpkaboo!" Luck was on Kuzuki's side as the battle appeared to come to an end. Blastoise was just a few feet away until a voice made itself known.

"Manectric, use Thunder Wave at Blastoise!" A wave of electricity came out of nowhere. Kuzuki wasn't quick enough to react and watched as his Blastoise got hit by the surprise attack. The shellfish pokemon staggered but was still barely managing.

"Tsk. Magnezone use Electroball!" The voice shouted again and a sphere of electricity blasted through the air and hit Blastoise. This time the water type collapsed from the attack.

"Who are you!? Show yourself!" Kuzuki demanded. Team Rocket exchanged confused glances wondering who interfered in their battle.

"If it isn't Mr. Sakai," The voice said making Kuzuki's blood grow cold.

"It can't be." The voice finally came out of their hiding spot. A tall man appeared along with his two pokemon. "It is! It's you Bradshaw!"

"Nice to know that you remembered my name." Bradshaw chuckled. His eyes wandered to the other people in his sight. He observed their shirts. "Team Rocket? You chumps should stay back in Kanto. Maybe then you'll actually achieve something worthwhile," The man taunted.

James gritted his teeth. "How dare you insult us! Just who the heck are you!?"

Bradshaw placed his hands on his hips. "How rude of me. My name is Bradshaw and I'm an elusive pokemon smuggler." Bradshaw took a bow.

Team Rocket gasped. They had their own encounter with a pokemon smuggler before and it ended up with them having to release their pokemon in the wild.

"Pokemon smuggler eh? Team Rocket has more credibility than just some low class smuggler," Meowth hissed. Bradshaw stared at Meowth in delight.

"What's this? A talking pokemon! You'd be worth far more than any of my other sales!" The man let out a raspy laugh. Jessie and James quickly shielded Meowth.

"As if! We'd never let you take Meowth away from us!" James defended.

"Wow," Meowth muttered. "You guys really are the best pals a pokemon can ask for." Kuzuki glared at Bradshaw and returned his fallen Blastoise. He didn't want the shellfish pokemon to get in danger.

"What are you even doing here anyways Bradshaw? I thought you and the others already learned your lesson from the last time I prevailed." Kuzuki's smirk made the man scowl.

"I was not apart of what those idiots couldn't accomplish. Letting a kid free all our merchandise was the stupidest thing they've ever did." He chuckled grimly. "But now I'm here to rightfully claim what's been lost. And that starts with all the pokemon here!" He then pointed at Kuzuki. "Then with you boy. I wan you to learn what happens when you mess with us."

"Not a chance." Kuzuki tossed a pokeball in the air. "Nidoran, come on out!"

"Nido!" Nidoran sensed the danger and went into battle stance.

"Nidoran and I will defeat you like we always do!" Kuzuki remarked.

"Oh Mr. Sakai, did you really think that I came alone." Kuzuki's eyes went wide as more men came surrounding him and Team Rocket. Each had at least one pokemon with them. Some of the men have already trapped the Pancham and Pangoro in a cage. They hauled the two pokemon off away.

"This is bad," Jessie muttered. Their plan has already backfired tremendously. The three along with their pokemon huddled closely together.

"As much as I hate to admit it. If we want to have a chance to get out of this predicament we'll have to work together with the kanto twerp," James admitted reluctantly. Jessie and Meowth nodded weakly and made their way next to Kuzuki.

"We've come to help you twerp! No one will stop us if you work with the almighty Team Rocket!" Meowth claimed profoundly.

Kuzuki sighed and shook his head. "I don't think we can make it out of this guys."

"Huh?!" The three uttered in unison.

"These people." Kuzuki gestured to everyone around them. "They're the real deal. Their pokemon are strong and tough. It was a miracle that I even managed to pull off what I did last time."

"So you're just going to give up? Maybe your memory is fuzzy but Team Rocket never gives up until they're successful!" Meowth encouraged everyone with pride.

Kuzuki smiled. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try." He pulled out all of his remaining pokeballs. "As long as they're safe. Everyone come on out!" Swinub, Dartrix, and the banged up Blastoise came out. Kuzuki then tossed his bag towards a bush to keep the smugglers from stealing it.

"Guys, we're in some deep trouble right now. We might not even make it out of here." The pokemon gasped. "Blastoise. I know you're still hurt from the last battle but are you okay to keep fighting?"

"Blastoise!" He cried out affirmatively. He'd protect his trainer to the very end. Kuzuki tossed his crimson beanie to the side to ease his wills.

"Swinub, Dartrix, Nidoran, Blastoise. I want you guys to know that I love you all. Just felt like getting that out of my chest if the worst happens." The pokemon smiled warmly at their trainer. The boy let out a shaky breath. "It's been fun having you guys around. Heh, look at me, not having any confidence that we'll win this outcome. No matter what happens I'll be proud of you all."

"You ready Team Rocket?" Kuzuki said with butterflies in his stomach. This whole situation made him feel uneasy.

"Of course, Team Rocket is always ready!"

"Well…" Kuzuki looked to see the men advancing towards them. "...here goes nothing!"

 _ **Sometime later...**_

"Panagoro! We got the bamboo sprig…." Ash went speechless as soon as he saw the carnage in front of him.

"What's wrong Ash?" Clemont asked before he too went speechless. Bonnie let out a muffled cry, covering her mouth with her hands. Serena gasped.

"What happened here!?" She shrieked. The whole area where they left Pangoro was a complete wreckage. There was no grass left in that area at all, the trees and bamboo were in ashes, patches of clothing scattered the ground, and most notably was the deep craters punctured through the ground.

"Pancham!" Pancham panicked as it searched the entire area to look for his beloved friends. Everyone scampered around the area to search for clues. Bonnie noticed a crimson beanie barely hanging off the ledge of a crater.

"Clemont." Bonnie tugged on his jumpsuit and directed his attention to the headwear. "You don't think that…"

"No!" Ash exclaimed loudly, not wanting to hear the worst. "Kuzuki is a powerful trainer! He won't…" Ash stared down at the ground, tears almost welling up in his eyes. "...he won't let someone do this."

"He may have done this you know," Serena's quiet voice said. "Why else did he want to stay behind? The pokemon put up a fight but they lost. He might've even took that pesky Meowth too!"

Ash's body started to shake. "Why are you so against Kuzuki, huh?! He's been nothing but nice to us and you keep insulting my friend!" Ash accused hotly.

"Some friend he is!"

"Some friend you are!"

Clemont stood between the two. "Guys! Guys! Arguing isn't going to get us anywhere! We need to keep on finding more clues to figure out exactly what happened here." Clemont turned to Serena. "Do it for the Pancham."

Serena crossed her arms and proceeded to walk towards the emotionally hurt Pancham.

"What is up with her? She was so nice before," Ash said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Ever since Kuzuki came she's been acting strange "

Clemont nodded. "I noticed that too. Kuzuki said that they've known each other since the summer camp you all went to," Clemont added in. "Maybe something hap-"

"T-t-twerps!" A weak voice groaned. Ash and Clemont searched around the area for the voice.

"R-right h-here," The voice coughed.

"Meowth!?" Ash hollered. The Team Rocket member crawled out of a bush that was barely intact. He wheezes as he kept pushing himself and something else to view. "And Swinub!?" The two were in terrible condition. Bruises, scratches, and burn marks covered their body. Swinub was out cold while Meowth was fighting to stay awake.

Meowth appeared to be trying to say something until his body slumped down. Ash gasped. The Kanto boy quickly made his way over along with Clemont.

"They're still breathing"" Clemont informed him. Bonnie dragged Kuzuki's bookbag, not being strong enough to carry it. "I don't know if there's a Pokemon Center nearby. These two need immediate attention!"

Ash growled. Meowth was their only chance at telling them the events that unfolded. Suddenly, an idea came to mind.

"That's it!" Ash took the backpack from Bonnie and unzipped it.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur rammed himself into Ash and caught the backpack for himself.

"Wha! Hey what was that for!?" Ash rubbed his shoulder in pain.

"I don't think Ivysaur wants us to be in Kuzuki's bag," Clemont acknowledged. Ivysaur guarded the bag in his disposal.

Ash sighed and got down to Ivysaur's level. "Ivysaur, will you please let me have the bag. I know there's something there that'll help us with Meowth and Swinub. Don't you want to know where your trainer is?" Ivysaur was deep in thought before he reluctantly nodded and dug his head in the bookbag. When the seed pokemon's head popped out he had a video camera in his mouth. He dragged it with him and left the rest of the backpack to Ash.

"Hey, isn't that Kuzuki's camera?" Bonnie asked her brother.

"Yes it is. But why did Ivysaur take it out with him?" Clemont placed his hand on his chin.

"Maybe that's why he didn't want his to open the bag," Bonnie piped in. Clemont was about to respond until Ash fished something out of the bag.

"Aha!" He yelled, holding two small vials in his hands. "This is Kuzuki's Healing Potion! I knew it'd be here. It sure helped me a lot back then." Ash stared at the vials in confidence. Zipping the bag once more Ash crouched down to the two fallen pokemon.

"If you two can hear me, can you please open your mouth the best you can." Ash requested the two. For a while, nothing happened. Two minutes passed and Ash saw Meowth slowly open his mouth. Ash smiled and poured the liquid into his mouth. Swinub took a bit longer to respond, but the liquid was soon draining down his mouth too.

"Awesome." Ash put the two empty vials in his pocket.

"We should probably clean up their wounds in the meantime. It'll take a while before they wake up," Clemont suggested. Ash frowned, he wanted to know the whereabouts of his old friend as soon as possible. There is a possibility that Kuzuki was in danger. But there's nothing anyone can do right now until Meowth wakes up.

"I guess you're right." Ash grinned. "Who's going to clean who?"

"I'll clean up Swinub!" Bonnie announced. She scooped up the pig pokemon and took him over to her side. Ash and Clemont exchanged looks.

"That leaves us with Meowth." As the three were treating the two pokemon, Serena was busy comforting the Pancham. Or at least that's what it seemed like.

"I didn't mean to get angry at Ash, it's just that I really really loathe that Kuzuki. He has some nerve just coming into my life again like nothing has ever happened. I'm afraid that my attitude towards Kuzuki will ruin my relationship with Ash. I want Ash to know how much I care about him. Not that I mean anything by it. Well I do bu-" The Pancham shut her lips with its paw and glared at her.

"Sorry," She apologized as the Pancham let go. Serena then gazed at Ash. If only if there was a way to get him to notice her more without involving Kuzuki into the situation.

"Serena," Bonnie whispered from beside her. "Can you help me clean Swinub?" She asked timidly.

Serena's first instinct was to refuse the offer until she remembered that she still owed Bonnie for the scare the other day. Serena forced a smile.

"Of course Bonnie." With that, the two cleaned the dual type pokemon's cuts and injuries. After they were done Bonnie started petting Swinub in an attempt to wake him up.

"Swinub…." The pig pokemon muttered weakly. Bonnie gasped and hugged the pokemon lightly. She was glad that Kuzuki's pokemon was awake.

"You're okay Swinub!" Serena looked on with mixed emotions. Seeing Bonnie happy made her glad but on the other hand Serena couldn't help but conclude to her previous statement. Kuzuki attacked both Swinub and that Meowth, then stole Pangoro and Pancham for himself. He told Ivysaur to go with them and left Swinub. Left two pokemon for another two. It made sense to her.

"He does have a way to backstab others in the back," Serena spat out bitterly.

"Nub! Nub!" Swinub searched frantically for his trainer. Although not in one hundred percent condition, he could still handle himself.

"If Swinub is awake then that means…" Bonnie was cut off by a screeching voice.

"Twerps!" Both Serena and Bonnie ran to where the others where at. What they saw shocked them.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Meowth was kissing Ash's feet. Everyone gaped at this. Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder and smothered him with questions.

"Hold on there pal. I got to thank my hero for saving me with whatever he made me drink!" Meowth pushed Pikachu aside.

"Actually." Ash rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "That was one of Kuzuki's herb medicines."

Meowth gasped in realization. "That's right!" Meowth observed his surroundings. "Kuzuki is the one that saved me!" Meowth felt himself grow furious. "Those pesky men. My team…"

Ash was quick to respond. "Meowth, can you tell us what happened? Where is everyone!?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you much. Those punks got me first," Meowth growled.

"Well, can you at least tell us what you dl know?" Clemont asked. Meowth nodded and sat on the ground.

"Kuzuki and I were watching the Pangoro like we told you mugs after you all left. Jessie and James came by and found me." Meowth hesitated to tell his true motives but felt like had to since he owed Kuzuki. "Jessie, James, and I planned to take the Pangoro."

"What!?"

"Really?!"

"I knew it!" Just as Meowth predicted, the outbursts came left to right.

"Hey! Let me finish!" Everyone calmed down. "As I was saying, I tied Pangoro and Pancham up while Jessie and James battled him and his Blastoise. Before the battle even finished two different electric moves attacked Blastoise. This man came out, called himself Bradshaw. He said that he was some kind of pokemon smuggler and apparently those two had some history."

Serena snorted. "Kuzuki most likely was a smuggler," She remarked in disgust.

"Let Meowth finish his story!" Ash snapped. Serena hung her head down. She was suppose to stop doing that if she wanted to Ash to like her more. Not that she was admitting anything.

"Right. Well the two were about to have a battle until he called for an army of his men! They had us cornered. Each with a pokemon. Team Rocket and Kuzki came to a mutual agreement to work together and fight them off. I'm guessing they wanted me the most because I'm a pretty unique pokemon. They had a Diggersby shoot a mudshot at the back of my head! More attacks hit me, it was a madhouse! If it hadn't been for Kuzuki's quick thinking I would've been done and captured!"

"What did he do?" Ash asked. He had been secretly glad that Serena's prediction wasn't true.

"That lug got his Dartrix to use his Ominous Wind on me. With all the smoke from the attacks those smugglers didn't see me get whisked away to a nearby bush." Meowth scratched his face. "I'm afraid that's as much as I can tell you."

Ash frowned deeply. "That doesn't really help us." Meowth shrugged. "If only if there was some way to know more."

"Tsk." Serena folded her arms and faced away from the group. Ash ignored this and tried to come up with a decent plan.

"Nub! Nub!" Swinub bounced off of Bonnie's arms. The pig pokemon began yapping at Meowth.

"Of course! Slow down! Slow down! Tell me again slowly."

"That's right! Meowth can translate what Swinub says! He was with Kuzuki when all this happened!" Clemont exclaimed.

"Alright you twerps," Meowth began. "I'm only repeating this once so you all better be listening closely." The talking pokemon informed the others. Everyone but Serena nodded.

"Swinub! Nub! Nub! Swinub!"

"So it all started one day when….."

 _ **Author's Note: Chapter Four is complete. Sorry for the long wait. As most of you all know, the site was acting nuts so I delayed the chapter. The beginning may've seemed a bit weird because I wasn't sure where the best place to put Kuzuki would be. I loved how the rest turned out though so that's that. Also, Cliffhanger because I'm evil : P. Stay alert for Chapter Five: Past Encounters**_


	5. Past Encounters: Part One

_Chapter 5: Past Encounters: Part_ One

 ** _Nine months ago…_**

Kuzuki was walking down the streets of Shalour City. He had just been finished challenging the Shalour gym leader Korrina. Korrina specialized in fighting type pokemon. What really surprised Kuzuki was when he found out that she was capable of doing mega evolution with her Lucario. Lucario had managed to take out most of Kuzuki's pokemon, including Ivysaur. Kuzuki thought that mega evolution was too much for him and that he'll lose the gym battle. All he had left was his little Swinub that was trembling in fear because of the Lucario's size.

Somehow, Kuzuki barely defeated Korrina. The pig pokemon's toughness impressed the gym leader. Swinub used his speed to keep on using Tackle on Lucario. Although it didn't do a whole lot of damage it was effective enough to tire the mega evolution pokemon. In the end, Swinub hit Lucario with a Mud Shot directly in the face to seal the deal.

Kuzuki earned the Rumble Badge. He received something else from the gym leader that Kuzuki was too embarrassed to share. Nevertheless, the boy was traveling to Lumiose City to challenge the gym leader there. Kuzuki didn't know a lot about the gym leader, only that he was a male and an electric type specialist.

"Fighting the gym leader in Lumiose City shouldn't be too much of a hassle. Only Blastoise has a disadvantage with electric types." Kuzuki frowned. "Though, I don't know what pokemon he'll be using. The gym leader might have a couple of dual types with him. Or maybe mega evolution like…" Kuzuki was still hesitate about mentioning her name. "Well you get the idea," He explained to his partner, Ivysaur."

"Ivy?" Ivysaur was confused as to why his trainer was acting nervous. Did he feel edgy about having to face the next gym leader?

"Er, ignore that Ivysaur." Kuzuki laughed nervously. "Anyways, we should get some extra training in just in case." The grass type pokemon nodded. Kuzuki took out his other four pokeballs.

"Alright everyone, come on out!" He tossed his pokeballs in the air and his four other pokemon came out. This includes his Swinub, Blastoise, Nidoran, and his Dartrix. The four happily cried out at seeing their trainer.

"Great job on the battle! Swinub, Blastoise, and Ivysaur, you guys did a fantastic job. Swinub gets the biggest thanks due to helping me secure my victory." Kuzuki patted Swinub on the head and the rest looked on proud of their friend for handling the power of mega evolution.

"Our next stop is Lumiose City. I want you all to get some extra training in for our battle! I'll be mainly focusing on Nidoran and Dartrix because they deserve a chance to battle the next gym leader."

"Coo!"

"Nido!" The two pokemon let out a cheer, happy to be included in their trainer's next battle.

"As for the rest of you." The rest looked at him with hopeful eyes. "We'll see as time goes on. But for right now we'll do some training." The pokemon nodded. "For our first step, we'll be do-" Kuzuki was cut off by loud yelling approaching him. A truck was zooming across the streets with something sticking out the window.

"What the?" Kuzuki questioned until the truck came past him and snatched Dartrix! The thing that was poking out the window was a mechanic arm. "Hey! Give me back my pokemon!" Kuzuki demanded. He sprinted after the truck, with his pokemon behind him.

The boy and his pokemon ran through the forest where the truck seemed to stop. Kuzuki hid in one of the bushes and peered at the men coming out of the truck. They were all laughing.

"Haha! Did you see the look on that stupid boy's face when we took his pokemon!? Priceless!" The group of men laughed harder. Kuzuki gritted his teeth. "By the way, what pokemon is this?" He asked his fellow accomplices with a cage in his grasp. Inside that cage was Dartrix who was struggling to get out.

One of the men hummed. "Looks to me that that boy had an _exotic_ pokemon. Haven't seen it in Kalos before which is funny because we smuggled almost every type of pokemon here." The man's joke caused the rest to chuckle.

"It doesn't matter. As long as this pokemon gets sold then we'll get the money. Heck, this might be worth at least five thousand pokedollars because of its exotic natures," The man informed the rest.

One of them clapped their hands. "Of course! Great thinking my man!" Everyone gave him a pat on the back and headed inside a building. Kuzuki presumed it to be their secret base.

"Damn those people," Kuzuki muttered hatefully. "We're going to get Dartrix no matter what. But those men said that they smuggle other pokemon as well. We have to help them out too." The pokemon agreed and split up into two different groups. Kuzuki, Blastoise, and Ivysaur decided to sneak in from the front of the building since they were the largest ones. Nidoran and Swinub were to sneak to the back and find an opening to go through. The two being the smallest were given this task.

"Good luck Swinub and Nidoran. If you two are in danger you just give out a holler and we'll help you. This place isn't that big so we should be able to get to you two in time," Kuzuki assured the two pokemon.

"Nub! Nub!"

"Nido!" Swinub and Nidoran bid their trainer a farewell and dashed towards the back of the building. Kuzuki gestured the remaining pokemon to crouch and follow him.

Swinub felt overwhelmed about the plan. The pig pokemon was frightened that they were going on without their trainer. But he had confidence that Nidoran and himself will be able to find their stolen friend.

"Nido." Nidoran directed Swinub's attention to the open gap at the bottom of the wall. It was just big enough for the two of them to enter. Once inside, the room that they were standing in gave off an eerie atmosphere. It was dark and the only light in sight was across the hall. Although, the light was dim, it was outside the room where they could potentially get caught and captured.

Swinub trembled in fear. "Swinub..." The dual type pokemon whimpered. Nidoran noticed his friends uneasiness and tried to calm him down. A large thud toppled behind the two which was enough to cause Swinub to squeal and zip off to the lights safety.

"Nidoran!" Nidoran called out to his friend quitely. Swinub was already too far for him to hear his friend. Nidoran sighed at his friends paranoia to the dark and examined what exactly was behind him.

"Squirt…" The voice weakly mumbled. Nidoran saw that something was inside a cage.

"Swinub!" Swinub was relieved to be away from whatever the heck was in the room with them. The dim light shined from above. Just when Swinub thought it was all over he heard footsteps coming from afar. Quickly, Swinub hid in the shadows. As much as he hated the dark it was the only way to not be seen.

"So then I tell this guy that Pikachus never had a black stripe at the edges of their tails. He kept on insisting that there was one and that I was crazy to not remember," One of the voices annoyingly said to his partner.

The other guy chuckled. "I've heard other people say that same exact statement too. They told me that they've been around Pikachus since they were younglings. Apparently making some stupid theory that we all switched to another dimension without noticing and some tiny things changed while doing so. Sounds like a load of bullcrap if you ask me," The man replied to his friend.

"Ha! Who's dumb enough to believe that nonsense!" They both laughed and continued down the hall. Swinub's mind went blank. He remembered his friend Pikachu back in Johto and recalled him not having a black stripe. Or did he?

"Nidoran!" The poison pokemon snapped Swinub out of his world shattering thoughts. Nidoran told him to come back in the room and help him out. Confused, Swinub went back inside the room with every bit of courage he had left.

"Swinub?" The pig pokemon tilted his head. Nidoran appeared to be trying to open something. Upon further examination Swinub saw that we was attempting to open a cage. A pokemon was in there.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle cried out for help. There was a lock on the cage meaning that they needed to find a key in order to free the pokemon. Before they could even begin the search, fast footsteps came from outside the room and the two pokemon scurried for cover. A taller man flipped a switch and the light came to illuminate the room.

"How did you get down here little one?" A man questioned, crouching down to pick up the cage. Squirtle scowled at the mysterious man in fury. "There's no need for that type of attitude. Some very rich people are coming later and you have to look presentable so they will want to buy you." The man grinned smugly and carried the cage with him outside the room. Swinub and Nidoran came out of their hiding places. The two came to an agreement to follow the man wherever he was going because he was taking the pokemon to be sold. Dartrix was bound to be there.

The two stealthily made their way over to the man. He had entered another room and came out empty handed. As soon as he left, Swinub and Nidoran rushed inside the room and were shocked to see what was in there.

There was multiple cages within the room with more pokemon trapped in there. Each pokemon noticed them and began making louder noises, urging them to help them escape.

"Coo! Coo!" Swinub saw his friend on the top of the pile of cages who was waving his wings at him frantically. The two pokemon had no idea how to free Datrix along with everyone else.

" **Ddddddddiiiinnnnnngggggg**!" A loud alarm buzzed off and startled Swinub and Nidoran. That could only mean one thing, Kuzuki and the others have been spotted.

"AHHH!" Swinub heard his trainer scream. Kuzuki barged in the room with his pokemon. The group of men didn't notice him going in and kept on running through the halls. "Oh thank goodness." He sighed, relieved until he noticed all the pokemon in the room staring at him. "Oh hey guys. Didn't expect to see you all here." Kuzuki began searching the room in search of a way to free them all.

"Stupid keys. Where the heck are you?" Kuzuki then gazed at the set of keys dangling from the wall. "Oh," He said stupidly. The boy snatched the keys and went to the first cage in front of him.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle beamed brightly at the set of keys in his hands.

"Hmmm. Now which key is it?" He asked himself and tried the first key.

 ** _Kuzuki used Concentration!_**

 ** _It's not very effective!_**

"Drats!" He exclaimed as the key didn't budge. "This is going to take a while," Kuzuki moaned and tried the next key.

"I think he's in here!" Someone said urgently. The pokemon started to panic and warned Kuzuki of the incoming threats. But he was still attempting to open the lock.

"Not this one."

Kuzuki's pokemon stood beside each other and prepared to face the bad people.

"Hey! He is in he-ah!" The man shrieked as he was blasted by Blastoise's water gun. The men gasped at their fallen comrade and glared at the four pokemon. Before they had a chance to release their pokemon, more attacks followed.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur shot out a series of Razor Leaf's from his back and targeted the poor men.

"Eeek!" They cried out.

"Nub Nub!" The pig pokemon fired a mudshot at a man's face.

"Urk! My eyes!" As the man dusted the mud off his eyes his comrades finally took out their pokemon and prepared for battle.

"Heh. Not so tough now, are you?" One of the men taunted. Their pokemon laughed along with their evil trainers.

"Yes!" Kuzuki shouted excitingly. The group of people turned their attention to the boy.

"Squirtle!" The shellfish pokemon blasted the men with his own water gun. More pokemon were released from their cage and entered the fight.

"Coo!" Datrix chirped gleefully, making himself comfortable on Kuzuki's shoulder.

"Dartrix! Glad to have you back safe and sound," He replied to his pokemon. "But those guys right there won't be so safe and sound." He pointed to the fallen men and pokemon on the floor. The newly freed pokemon let out cries of victory at the defeated people.

"Yeah! Let's all get out of this dump!" Kuzuki yelled in triumph. The boy and all the pokemon stormed out of the building and went their separate ways.

"Squirtle! Squirtle!" Squirtle bowed to Kuzuki and his pokemon before running off on all fours to catch up with a couple of buddies he made during the event. Kuzuki stood their with a proud smile on his face.

"I'm so proud of you all. Thanks to us these pokemon won't have to live a miserable life," Kuzuki praised his partners. They all started celebrating until the sound of an engine came strolling by. It was another truck.

The door almost broke as the newcomer busted the door open. Boy, did he look pissed!

"Just what the hell is going on here!?" He shouted, pulling strands of his hair out. His precious merchandises have ran away. He glared at the boy hatefully.

"You!" He began stomping towards Kuzuki. "You did all of this, didn't you?" He asked mendencingly.

 **Kuzuki used The Finger!**

 **It's Sensational!**

The man gasped as Kuzuki laughed maniacally. "Ha! Up yours old man!" The boy ran off with his pokemon trailing behind him.

The man clenched his fists and growled deeply. "I'll get you for this. Whoever you are boy, I'll remember your face and make you pay!"

 ** _Present..._**

"And then Kuzuki and his pokemon pals resumed traveling to Lumiose City." Meowth finished, taking deep breaths from all the talking. Swinub had told him to leave out the part of Korrina having mega evolution to himself. Apparently, the pig pokemon had no intention on giving Ash and his pokemon a heads up. Something about it being payback for Ash not informing Kuzuki that some gym leader named Clair had a Gyarados.

"Wow. I had no idea that Kuzuki went through all of this before challenging my gym," Clemont said in amazement.

"That's Kuzuki alright! Saving others because he has a good heart.." Ash glared at Serena. "...and he's not a jerk."

Serena felt her eyes twitch and her heart clench. She just had to control herself, no more bad mouthing Kuzuki. If she wants to fix her straining relationship with Ash all she has to do is not talk about Kuzuki.

 _She couldn't._

"He didnt save those pokemon. He just saved his pokemon and freed the others because he couldn't handle those men. It's the type of thing that he'd do," Serena claimed. It all made sense to her. Unfortunately, the others didn't feel the same.

"No way! Kuzuki would never do that. He's too kind to let thise poor pokemon all by themselves!" Bonnie protested. Clemont decided to jump in as well.

"No offense Serena, but that doesn't make any sense. If he were to have only freed the pokemon to benefit him then why didn't he just leave them to begin with?" Clemont disagreed in a friendly manner.

"Yeah, that's just how Kuzuki rolls. Ever since camp all I've heard Kuzuki talk about is how much he likes pokemon and the environment. His favorite Kanto pokemon starter when we were young was…"

"Bulbasaur," Serena blurted out. She immediately regretted it.

"Huh? Hey, how come you know?" Ash asked, narrowing his eyes in a questioning manner. Serena tried to come up with an excuse.

"Well duh!" Bonnie interjected. "Bulbasaur was his own starter pokemon, who is now an Ivysaur. It's not that hard to put the pieces together."

Ash was quick to respond. "But it could've changed when he was youn-"

"Hello!" Meowth called to them annoyingly. "I'm trying to tell a story here and you twerps aren't listening!" Meowth was furious that all this time that he was talking about the next story, none of them heard a word.

"We're sorry Meowth! Please repeat it to us!" Ash pleaded nervously.

Meowth sighed. "You twerps are lucky that I owe Kuzuki," He groaned. Ash chuckled nervously and muttered a quick apology.

"Swinub! Nub! Nub!"

"Right. So a few months later…"

 ** _Seven months after freeing the pokemon…._**

Kuzuki had left Lumiose City a few days ago and was in pursuit of the next gym leader that he wanted to challenge. Wulfric, of Snowbell City. There, he would earn his fifth gym badge! Then after that he'll go to Anistar City for his sixth badge.

"Oh man, I can't wait!" Kuzuki exclaimed with a grin. He hasn't competed in a Pokemon League Championship Competition since the Silver Conference. Alola didn't have a league which left him out of the competitive scene during that time. Ivysaur and Swinub had a masterminded plan to convey.

"Ivy! Ivysaur!" Ivysaur pulled on his leg and diverted his eyes to the ice cream cart on the sidewalk. They made a quick stop at Santalune City

"I can do for some ice cream." Ivysaur and Swinub cheered at this. Behind the cart was a man with a smile on his face.

"Ah, new customers! What can I do for you today?" The man greeted. Kuzuki placed his hand on his chin.

"Hmm. I guess I'll have a…."

"Come back here!" A female voice shouted.

"Yeah!" Another voice yelled. Kuzuki and the man turned their attention to a large truck accelerating through the roads. Behind the truck was a woman on her motorcycle.

"It's Officer Jenny!" The ice cream man proclaimed. The motorcycle stopped when the truck got to far away.

"Darn it! They got away again!" Officer Jenny fumed. Kuzuki, Ivysaur, and the ice cream man approached her.

"What's going on officer?" The ice cream man asked.

"Those men in the truck, I've been trying to catch them for quite sometime now but they keep getting away," She explained to the two.

"And they dropped my ice cream cone too!" A voice whined from behind them. It was the same voice as before.

"Oh no Tierno! My boy, did they really!?" The ice cream man comforted the boy.

Tierno was a rather large boy with a Squirtle by his side. He wore a shirt with a pokemon on the front. It resembles an ice cream. The boy was clearly upset.

"Yes. I was strolling down the sidewalk with the ice cream you gave me in my hands. I heard this vehicle storming through the road and some long mechanical object hit the ice cream cone off my hands." Tierno hung his head low with his shoulders slumped down.

"Don't worry Tierno I'll get you another one. This one's on the house." Tierno's eyes sparkled at this. Who doesn't want free ice cream? The ice cream man then noticed something poking its head in the ice cream cart. "Hey! That pokemon is eating all the ice cream!"

"Ah! No Swinub, don't eat all the ice cream!" Kuzuki panicked, seeing his partner dump his head in all that ice cream. Kuzuki rushed to the cart and pulled the pig pokemon from out the hole.

"Swinub!" Swinub licked the ice cream off his face. The boy smiled at the dual type pokemon's silly antics. The ice cream man on the other hand didn't look so pleased.

"Your Swinub just ate all my ice cream! Who's going to pay for all this!?" He demanded.

"Uh well you see." Kuzuki quickly fished something from his pocket. He held the small round object in the palm of his hands.

 ** _Kuzuki used Smoke Bomb!_**

 ** _He missed!_**

"Ahhh!" Kuzuki screamed as the smoke swept through his eyes. "I'm blind! My vision has been compromised!"

"Ivysaur!" The grass type looked concerned for his trainer. Ivysaur had been standing a few feet from his trainer which wasn't in range of the attack.

Kuzuki started to rub his red eyes. "Surely you won't charge an injured kid. I mean there's an officer right there dude!" Kuzuki pointed to where he thought Officer Jenny was standing. The woman was observing the situation.

"Err…." The man stuttered at making a response. He huffed and pushed his ice cream cart the other way. Kuzuki could've sworn that he even heard the man cursing.

"Aw man," Tierno moaned in disappointment watching his favorite ice cream parlor storm off. "Wait a minute." He paused and examined the boy closely.

"Uhh…" Kuzuki felt embarrassed as Tierno stared at him.

Tierno gasped. "Oh! How did I not recognize you sooner? You're Kuzuki Sakai, right?" Tierno questioned with a smile. Kuzuki grew surprised as to how he knew him.

"I am." He began cautiously. After all, they did just meet. "How did y-"

"How could I not know?!" He exclaimed loudly. "Oh man is Shauna going to freak when she finds out that I got to meet you! I can just picture her face right now!" He laughed merrily.

Kuzuki couldn't help but grin at his cheerful attitude. "That still doesn't answer my ques-

"Where are my manners!" Again, Tierno interrupted the boy. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name's Tierno. This here is my partner Squirtle!"

"Squirtle!" The water type cried out, doing a backflip while doing so.

"We love to dance. We just keep on moving and grooving!" The two did a little dance.

"That's awesome! But I still want to know how you knew my name." Kuzuki finally finished his sentence.

Tierno blinked. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?!" Kuzuki let out a grunt. "I or more so Shauna, showed me your Pokévisions!" Tierno turned his attention to Ivysaur. "There's the main pokemon star! You know, Shauna chose a Bulbasaur as her starter pokemon because she's admired both you and your Ivysaur's friendship." He giggled afterwards.

All this started to make sense to Kuzuki, well almost all of it. "Heh, didn't know that my Pokévisions were that influential. I mean picking your first pokemon based off some dude's videos is something."

Tierno grinned. "I think it was the right choice. Shauna likes her Bulbasaur very much!" His face turned serious. "Don't be that discouraging on your videos. It may not be top ten but it still racks up a lot of views! I've watched most of your Pokévision videos, mainly because Shauna insists on showing them to Trevor and I every time we meet up. They're fantastic!"

Kuzuki felt his cheeks heat up from the compliment. "Thanks. That really means a lot." There was still one more question on his mind. A very important one in fact. "Who's Shauna?"

"She has to be your biggest fan if I've ever seen one. We just split off a few days ago. She went back home much like I did." An idea popped in his head. An evil one. "We should go give her a call! Boy, I bet she'd be so jealous right now!"

Before Kuzuki had the chance to respond Tierno had already began to drag him to the nearest pokemon center. Their pokemon followed them.

"Is this really necessary? I can walk on my own." Tierno ignored his comment and continued dragging him. Kuzuki was relieved when they made it to the pokemon center and Tierno let him go. They both went inside and handed Nurse Joy their pokemon.

"Come on!" Tierno motioned him to hurry up. "The phone booths are right there." He said, handing Nurse Joy his Squirtle. Kuzuki gave her his pokemon, minus Ivysaur and Swinub, and followed Tierno to the other room. Once there he found Tierno already pressing the buttons on the phone. Kuzuki held Swinub in his arms, who was feeling sluggish after eating all that ice cream.

He didn't know if Swinub was asleep though, it was hard to tell sometimes.

The phone started ringing. "This is going to be awesome. Hey, stand over there so she won't see you." Kuzuki did as he was told and stood out of the way. Ivysaur went with his trainer.

"Hey Shauna!" Tierno greeted joyfully. "Can you please not put it on voice only?"

"Tierno," She groaned. "We just talked like an hour ago!" Tierno laughed. "Fine just give me a sec. There."

"Alright! Hello!" Tierno pressed his face onto the screen. Kuzuki heard the girl giggle.

"Not that I don't like your calls or anything but why did you call me again today? I told you an hour ago that I had to help my mom. You're lucky we just finished."

"Whoops, I forgot! Sorry," Tierno apologised. "But what I'm about to tell you is going to blow your mind!" Tierno announced excitingly.

"If it's another one of your dance moves…"

"No no no! It's something just as good." He paused in suspense. "I. Just. Met. Kuzuki. Sakai!"

Kuzuki was met with silence soon after Tierno said that. This went on for a few minutes. Kuzuki was surprised that Tierno had so much patience, waiting for his friend to respond.

Kuzuki decided to step in. "Uh, did you end the call?" He asked, standing in front of the phone. He looked at the phone and saw the face of a tan girl with green eyes. She had brown hair that was in two sets of pigtails.

"Hello," Kuzuki politely greeted the new face on the phone booth. "You must be Shauna. Tierno tells me that you like my Pokévisions." Kuzuki gave her a friendly smile. It wasn't everyday that you meet a fan, even if you didn't know that you had any at all.

Kuzuki rubbed his arm awkwardly as the girl just kept on gaping at him. "Uh, is she always like this?" He asked Tierno.

Tierno scratched his head. "Hmm. Well I was so sure that she'd be more happy. Guess I was wrong." Tierno shrugged and was ready to end the call, until.

 ** _Shauna used Screech!_**

 ** _It's super effective and a critical hit!_**

"Wah!" Kuzuki shrieked, covering his ears the best he could with his hands. Tierno did the same. Ivysaur covered his ears with his vines.

"Swinub!" The noise rattled Swinub up. Kuzuki placed his hands on each side of his head, leaving the boy without ear protection. This caused Kuzuki to nearly lose his hearing.

"-Eeeeeeeeeee!" Thankfully she stopped squealing. "Tierno, don't you dare hang up! Oh my goodness! It really is you!" Shauna shrieked in disbelief.

"Yeah...it's m-"

"My name is Shauna! Well I guess you already know that. Or maybe not but now you know! Hehe! I can't believe I'm actually talking to you!" Kuzuki raised his finger in an attempt to say something but failed. "You helped me make some really big decisions on my life. The video you released with you saying that following your passion is the best way to go is what led me to become a Pokemon Performer!" The voice in her words sounded so genuine. Kuzuki's chest started to warm up from Shauna's praises.

"...to become a performer I need the best pokemon to start with. Seeing you and your Ivysaur's chemistry together got me wanting one of my own. I picked Bulbasaur and we're the perfect match for each other!" She picked up Bulbasaur. "Isn't that right Bulbasaur?"

"Bulbasaur!" The pokemon happily responded to Shauna.

"Ivy?" Ivysaur hopped on the phone booth and covered the screen with his face.

"Yippee! It's Ivysaur! We've picked up a couple of tricks from you." Shauna wiggled her finger at the seed pokemon. "Oooh! I got so many questions for you! What's your favorite gym battle? What's your next Pokévision going to be about? Can I be in it? Better yet who's your favo-"

"Shauna! What's with all that noise there!? You sound like a dying cat!" Shauna's eyes widened and she tried to cover up the screen.

"N-nothing mom!" She stuttered.

"Sure doesn't seem like nothing. Hmm, looks like you're using the phone. Let's see who you're calling."

"It's just Tierno! Nothing to see here!"

"Then you wouldn't mind if I talked to Tierno for a bit."

"I would mind!"

"Shauna! I'm your mother! As such you'll treat me the same as I do to you. Now let me chat with your friend." A heavy sigh was heard and the screen wasn't blocked out anymore. Instead, a women with a ponytail was seen. Shauna stood behind her.

"Hello Tierno, it's very nice to see you," Shauna's mom greeted.

"Likewise ma'am," Tierno responded with a similar manner. Shauna's mom's eyes gazed at Kuzuki.

"Why hello there young man. Haven't I seen you before?" She questioned, examining the boy carefully. "Ah! Now I know. You're that boy that my little Shauna watches on our computer. She visits the Pokévision website all the time. Bookmarks all your videos."

"Mom!"

"Hehe, I even accompanied Shauna to the pokemon center a few days ago so we could watch the top ten best Pokévisions. I'll tell you, she was so disappointed when you weren't in it. My little girl even went to the front desk to demand why you weren't featured!"

"Mom!"

"Don't pout sweetie. You won't believe the type of influence you have on my daughter. I don't know why she looks up to you so much. Shauna wanted to name her Bulbasaur after you but I just had to put my foot down and say no."

"Mom….."

"Don't get me started on what I hear her say when she's asleep. My daughter hugs her pillows and mutters y-"

"That's enough mother!" Shauna's face was burnt red as she wrestled her mother out of the area.

"Aww but honey, all those things you do for the boy and you don't even want to share it now that he's here!"

"That's it!" Shauna began to use more force than usual with her mother giggling at her actions. During the scuffle, one of them hit the off button and the call ended.

"Uhhh….." Kuzuki was speechless. He didn't know if his face could heat up more than it already is. Was this really how a fan should be? Kuzuki clutched Swinub more into his chest, a feeling of security slowly passing through.

"Yeah." Tierno coughed out awkwardly. "When I said that Shauna's your biggest fan I meant it."

"Wow. Just wow," Kuzuki responded stupidly. Honestly, this is how he felt right now. Luckily, the awkwardness in the area would go away as Officer Jenny came in the building.

"You there!" She pointed at Kuzuki. "What's your name?

Kuzuki quickly answered so he could get his mind off the embarrassing situation. "K-kuzuki Sakai."

"Well K-kuzuki Sakai." Kuzuki groaned. "I would like to ask you a few questions. Please follow me." Officer Jenny walked out the door. Kuzuki turned to Tierno.

"Guess I got to go." Kuzuki noticed the same phone booth ringing. "I'll see you next time Tierno." He offered Tierno his hand which he shook eagerly.

"It was nice meeting you Kuzuki! I wish we had more time to get to know each other."

"I'm sure we'll cross paths again. Maybe your friend will be with you." He tilted his head to the still ringing phone. "I feel bad just leaving her like that. Here." Kuzuki pulled a black bow from his bag. "I heard Shauna say that she's into Pokemon Showcases so I'm guessing that she's into fashion and all that. I used this during the three contests that I've participated. Give it to Shauna once you see her in person again." He handed the bow to Tierno.

"No sweat Kuzuki! I'll make sure to give this to her and tell her all about it!" Tierno replied, putting the bow in his pocket.

Kuzuki grinned. "Bye!" He waved his hand, collected his pokeballs from Nurse Joy, and left the pokemon center. There, Officer Jenny was impatiently tapping her foot.

"Hello officer!" Kuzuki said with pure innocence.

"Let's walk. I got some questions that needs answering." Officer Jenny walked along the sidewalk. Kuzuki followed her.

" **NOOOOOOOOO**!" Kuzuki could've sworn that he heard the faint 'no' from afar when he was a good distance away from the pokemon center.

"So, Mr?"

"Sakai. Kuzuki Sakai."

"Right. So Mr. Sakai, do you know what a pokemon smuggler is?" Officer Jenny asked, getting straight to the point.

"Why yes, they're people who take pokemon and sell them off."

"Correct. Next question, do you know this man." Officer Jenny presented him a picture of a middle aged man with black hair. His features were all too familiar.

"I may have seen him around." Kuzuki dodged the question to some extent. He wasn't sure where this conversation was going.

"Mr. Sakai, lying to an offi-"

"Alright alright." Kuzuki waved his arms. "I've seen him before but I don't know him. Honest!"

Officer Jenny seemed satisfied with his answer. "This man is called Bradshaw and he's the ringleader of an elusive pokemon smuggling business. I've been chasing his group for a very long time and it looks to me that you could assist me in catching them."

Kuzuki recalled the events of that particular day. "I don't know. I'm in the middle of my quest to collect eight gym badges to qualify for the league. Besides, I'm just a kid so it's your job to protect kids like me, right?" Kuzuki smiled innocently.

"Well this kid sure does know a lot about this certain group of pokemon smugglers due to the way he recognized the truck earlier." Kuzuki started to falter. "Also, this kid could earn a free trip to his next destination if he chooses to help me out and not deal with all that walking."

"Where do we start?" Kuzuki asked cheekily.

A few minutes later, Officer Jenny rode her motorcycle while Kuzuki sat on the side car. They were off to the place where Kuzuki found their headquarters. Officer Jenny said that it'll take a few hours so Kuzuki decided to take a nap with Ivysaur and Swinub in his arms. There wasn't any room for Ivysaur or Swinub on the motorcycle and the two stubborn pokemon refused to go in their pokeball so they sat on thier trainer's stomach. Kuzui could barely move so it was in his best interest to take a much needed rest.

After Officer Jenny woke him up in Shalour City, he directed her the directions through the forest. A few minutes later they were at the outside of the base.

"Here we are," Kuzuki announced. "Wait, what's the plan?" He asked the officer.

"The plan." She pulled out a pile of clothes from out of nowhere. "You're going to dress up as one of the smugglers to blend in." Officer Jenny gave him the clothes.

"Eh!? You're going to make me go in there all by myself?!" He asked frighteningly.

Officer Jenny shook her head and smirked. "Of course not. It's my job to protect people, not put them in any danger. Which is why I'll be going with you." Again, she pulled a similar pile of apparel from thin air.

"Oh that makes me feel a lot better," Kuzui replied sarcastically. Going in the familiar forest, Kuzuki went and changed into the smuggler clothing. How Officer Jenny even got it to fit his size was beyond him. All that was left was a hat and an arm band.

"Here, you guys." Kuzuki placed the hat on Swinub and the armband on Ivysaur. "Need to blend in." He winked at the two pokemon. Putting his regular clothing in his bag, Kuzuki exited the forest and saw the officer already changed. She looked impatient again.

"Hi fellow smuggler!" Officer Jenny rolled her eyes at his fake innocence and brought him a scarf.

"Take this and wrap it around your mouth. If what you told me is true then some of the smugglers will recognize you." Kuzuki nodded and wrapped the scarf around his mouth.

"Why don't you have to wear one?" He asked, his voice a bit muffled due to the piece of clothing.

"Because, I got these sunglasses to shield my eyes. Also, this hat will conceal my hair." Once Officer Jenny fully disguised herself Kuzuki could barely recognize her. The only thing that gave him a hint as to who she was was the lipstick she currently had on.

"Ready?"

"Ready!" Kuzuki answered back confidently. He and Officer Jenny walked to the entrance of the building with Kuzuki's pokemon in tow. The boy knocked on the door. He could hear footsteps from behind the door. It opened and Kuzuki immediately recognized this man from his last visit here.

"Yes?" He raised his eyebrow at the two.

"My name is Jennifer and this right here is Ke-"

"Kuzuki!" He interrupted the officer. "Kuzuki Sakai at your service!" Officer Jenny almost smacked the living daylights out of the boy for giving away his real name. However, she needed to keep up her act. It's no wonder why you don't have civilians do an officer's job.

"Kuzuki eh? Cool name. What's your position?" He asked. Officer Jenny grew nervous. She didn't know any of the positions or what they even are.

"My position is Pokemon Watcher. My friend Jenny-er I mean Jennifer is on Mission Briefing duty." Kuzuki answered as best as he could.

The man grinned and gestured them to go inside. They both did and the door shut behind them. The man stayed back in guard duty leaving the two to go wander around.

"How'd you know what to do back there kid?"

Kuzuki chuckled. "Wild guess."

"Wild guess? You mean we could've blown our cover because of you?" Kuzuki nodded, causing the officer to sigh. "Doesn't matter now. We're in. Here's the plan. We get the details on their next heist so we can catch them on the act. Then get out of this place as soon as possible. An in and out situation if you will." She explained to the boy.

"Brilliant! So me calling you the Mission Briefer will get you the answers we need! Great thinking by me!"

 ** _Officer Jenny used Smack!_**

 ** _It's super effective!_**

"Ow!" Kuzuki yelped in pain and rubbed his head.

"In case you didn't already figure it out, I don't know what the mission is. How on earth am I going to tell everyone about it?!" Officer Jenny rolled her eyes at the boy's lack of thinking.

"You're right. Maybe we can d-" Kuzuki was dragged away in an instant.

"No slacking around. We got work to do." It was the same man guarding the door. He let Kuzuki go and pointed towards the direction where the pokemon were.

Kuzuki obeyed and glanced at Officer Jenny one more time before leaving.

"Ivysaur?" Ivysaur was just as confused as Swinub. Are they going back to the same place as before?

"Don't worry you two. We'll get out of this like we always do. Officer Jenny has got this under control, I hope." He gulped. This did nothing to ease the two pokemons nerves.

Kuzuki walked into the familiar room and was greeted by the same sickening sight. The pokemon were all locked up, this time there was some type of force field blocking the cage. The boy frowned, the smugglers must've increased their security.

"This is going to be tougher to bust them out." Ivysaur and Swinub agreed and started searching the room for clues. Kuzuki sat on a nearby chair and watched the miserable pokemon sulk.

"There has to be some way." Kuzuki began to monitor the upgraded defenses, seeing if there was some kind of fault in their contraption. Kuzuki didn't know how much time passed until he heard a voice.

"Psst," The voice whispered. Kuzuki turned his head and saw the disguised Officer Jenny standing there with a smirk on her face.

"I got the necessary intel needed for the mission. Come on, it's time to leave this place." Officer Jenny snatched his wrist and pulled him with her. However, Kuzuki didn't budge.

"No. Those innocent pokemon need our help." He stared at the tearful pokemon.

"We can save them once we take down the smugglers. Now let's go," She said more affirmatively. Kuzuki shook his head.

"What, so you're just going to let those poor pokemon suffer more at the hands of these awful people? I thought you were an Officer! You're supposed to be helping them!" He declared more loudly than he intended to.

Officer Jenny scowled deeply. "Look kid, you don't tell me how to do my job. I do what's necessary for the workforce. These pokemon will be safe later on." She attempted to grabbed his wrist again but was met with a slap to the arm.

"You do what's necessary for the workforce, or yourself?!" He growled. "If I was an Officer then I'll make it my goal to protect every human and pokemon when they need it."

"But you're not," She remarked. "This is final. We. Are. Leaving." Officer Jenny forcefully took his arm and hauled him out the door.

"No!" Kuzuki shoved her away. "I'm going to save those pokemon! Ivysaur use Razor Leaf on the force field. Swinub, you use Tackle!"

"Nub! Nub!"

"Ivy!" The two pokemon did as they were told. Their attacks did nothing. At least, that's what they thought until.

" **Ddddddddiiiinnnnnngggggg** " The alarm went off. Everyone immediately went into a panic.

"Kid! Ugh, we have to go now!" Officer Jenny dashed out the door. Kuzuki lingered in the room. He took one long glance at the pokemon before he and his two pokemon zoomed out the door too. The path to the exit was empty. Kuzuki guessed that it was nighttime and everyone was asleep. The alarm was a loud wake up call.

"Hurry!" He heard someone shout from behind him. Large heavy footsteps were thundering behind him. Kuzuki ran faster and saw that the door was open.

"Officer Jenny must already be at her vehicle." Kuzuki was right as he saw Officer Jenny starting up her motorcycle. She ditched her disguise that protected her facial features.

"Get in!" She yelled with worry in her eyes. Kuzuki made a break for it.

"Get her!" One of the men shouted. Kuzuki stopped running. It was too far a distance to get in the vehicle in time. The smugglers would get him before he was remotely close to it. He had to make a choice.

Determination filled his eyes and he glared at the officer. "Get out!" He ordered the officer. She, of course shook her head. "Alright then, Ivysaur use vine whip! Swinub, mudshot! But make sure to miss." He whispered the last part so the smugglers wouldn't hear.

Both Ivysaur and Swinub stared at Kuzuki in shock. But, they had full trust on their trainer and followed the command.

"Ivysaur!" Ivysaur shot out his vine whip, intentionally missing the vehicle by a few feet.

"Swinub!" Swinub fired a mud shot but made sure to hit the ground beside her. Seeing the smugglers starting to close in on her, Officer Jenny gritted her teeth, put on her helmet, and got out of the area as fast as she could.

"I hope you know what you're doing kid." She said with a single angry tear falling down her face within the inside of her helmet. She succeeded in gathering the information, but instead, felt like it was a total failure.

"It's my sworn duty to protect everyone…"

Meanwhile, Kuzuki stomped the ground angrily.

"Dammit! She got away!" A smuggler yelled.

"Darn! I almost got her too! That backstabbing traitor!" Kuzuki sneered. The others bought his story and kept arguing on who was to blame.

"Step aside," Someone ordered. Everyone stepped out of the way to let the person through. "You and I are going to have a talk about today's events seeing as how you knew this person."

Kuzuki gazed at the middle aged man. He had short black hair and a light stubble on his chin. His clothing was different than the rest, it made him stand out. The boy recalled who this person was.

Kuzuki clenched his fists and forced a straight face. He made direct eye contact to the man who wore an arrogant grin.

"Yes...Mr. Bradshaw, sir."

 ** _Author's Note: Whew! That took a bit longer than I wanted it to take. I decided to make this a two parter due to me not wanting the chapter to get to big. With Officer Jenny gone Kuzuki is forced to continue his role as a smuggler. What will be the fallout of this situation? What else will Swinub reveal about Kuzuki's encounters with the smugglers. And how is Kuzuki fairing during the present time right now? Stay tuned for Chapter Six: Past Encounters Part_** ** _Two!_**


	6. Past Encounters: Part Two

_Chapter 6: Past Encounters: Part Two_

 ** _Still two months ago..._**

"Hmm." Bradshaw calmly stared back at the strange boy. The man brought him to his office for questioning. Bradshaw's first motive was to stare him down for any weaknesses. He always did it to new guys and it had them squirming in their seats. For some reason, this boy stared right back at him with his Swinub on his lap.

"Hmm indeed," Kuzuki replied, petting his pig pokemon. Ivysaur rested on the arm of the chair. Bradshaw rolled his eyes.

"Let's cut to the chase. First question. What's your name?" He asked.

"My name is Kuzuki Sakai sir."

"Okay Mr. Sakai, aren't you too young to be here? This is where all the men do business."

"Men? Looks to me like a bunch of goons that let someone get away. An Officer Jenny to be exact. I was the only one who actually did something," Kuzuki remarked with a glare.

"Now listen here kid." Bradshaw clicked his tongue. "You don't come here and insult my men. I'll only say this once. Why are you here?" He slammed his fist on the table.

"Relax." Kuzuki hugged Swinub at the action. "I'm here because my partner and I were assigned to assist your business. Something to do with letting someone free all the pokemon a few months back."

"Blasted men, never getting the job done when they have to." Bradshaw eyed the boy curiously. "Partner? You mean that-"

"Yes t-"

"Don't interrupt me boy!" Bradshaw shouted. Kuzuki cowered in his seat. "Now, before you so rudely interrupted me. You mean the exact same partner that escaped my building?"

"Yes," Kuzuki muttered. The two had another stare off.

"And?"

"And what?"

"Come on boy. Give me more than that," Bradshaw demanded. Kuzuki stared at his lap.

"I just met her a few days ago. I would've never thought that she was an officer. I was guarding the poke-merchandise when I heard a crash and saw her try to steal the valuable merchandise from right under my nose! She offered me to come join her but I said no and pulled the alarm. She ran and I chased her but she was too far by the time you all decided to finally show up," Kuzuki explained to the boss who was listening very carefully.

Bradshaw grunted. "So she had a disguise then? I notice that you have one yourself." Kuzuki froze. "Why don't you take of your headwear? You know, as an act of trust and security that you're not one of them too." Bradshaw leaned back against his chair and placed his hands on his lap.

Kuzuki clutched the scarf around his mouth. If he removed the piece of clothing then Bradshaw would surely recognize the boy. Who knows what they would do to him. They wouldn't let another person escape this building a secondtime.

"Uh well, you see sir. I uh….." Kuzuki scolded himself for not coming up with an excuse.

"Spit it out boy! I don't have all day."

Kuzuki began to scan the room. "I have a case of….chairwallitis?" Kuzuki replied with uncertainty.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Chairwallitis? Do tell what this exactly is."

"Chairwallitis is a very contagious infection. If you get contaminated then you'll lose your perfect smile! Life is hard without a smile you know. I wouldn't want you to suffer sir." Kuzuki hoped that he'd fall for the lie.

He did. "You're damn right that life is hard without a smile! How would I close in a deal, or better yet, woo the ladies. Keep that covered up then boy! Wouldn't want you infecting anyone." Kuzuki nodded and the two fell into an awkward silence.

"If that's all sir then I'll be hea-"

"No." Bradshaw interrupted the boy. "We are not staying here any longer. Now that that nosey Officer Jenny knows where our hideout is we must relocate. No time to rest, we're leaving." Bradshaw leaned towards the microphone on the desk.

 **"Attention everyone. Due to the circumstances surrounding the events of today I call an immediate relocation this instant! Everyone get your lazy asses up and start packing our merchandise in the trucks. This is a direct order!"** Kuzuki could hear the speakers from outside the room. No doubt that everyone heard his announcement.

"As for you boy. I'm still not a hundred percent sure that I can trust you. Because of this you'll be in the same truck as me so I can keep an eye out on you. Now, go help the others with our merchandise." Bradshaw dismissed the boy and started making calls to inform his colleagues of the sudden arrangement.

"Yes sir." Kuzuki stood up and left the room. He walked to the room where all the pokemon were in with a dazed look on his face. He had no choice but to follow these awful mens orders. Running now wouldn't be any help to him since most of the men were already outside getting ready. Officer Jenny wouldn't know where he was nor would anyone else.

"Ivysaur?" Ivysaur called out to his trainer. He was just as afraid as Kuzuki was.

"I don't know if we can do anything Ivysaur. It's best if we go with these people and see where it goes from there. Hopefully we can find an opening." Kuzuki could feel the pig pokemon in his arms start to shake in fear. The boy comforted his frightened pokemon.

"Swinub..." Swinub whined in a shaky voice.

"There there." Kuzuki tightened his hold on Swinub. "Nothing to fret about. I promise that we'll be safe. I'll make it my mission to do so."

"Ivysaur!" Ivysaur assured Swinub with a smile.

"Now," Kuzuki said, feeling Swinub start to relax. "Get some sleep. We've had a long day. When you wake up we'll all still be here." Swinub felt his drowsiness overwhelming him. The pig pokemon normally doesn't stay up this long. Pressing himself more into his trainer's arms, Swinub fell into an uneasy sleep while his trainer exited the building.

"Goodnight Swinub."

 ** _Present….._**

"Swinub. Swinub." The pig pokemon finished his story.

"And after that, Swinub here went to sleep and doesn't know what happened during the night," Meowth translated the final bits of Swinub's memory.

"Nub! Nub! Swinub!"

"Swinub says that he stayed in his pokeball for the rest of the journey," Meowth explained to the others.

"I don't blame him. That must've been a terrifying experience for a pokemon like Swinub," Clemont said with sympathy for the pig pokemon.

"Aww, do you need a hug?" Bonnie asked the pokemon. Swinub quickly accepted her offer.

"So we know who's behind it all." Ash spoke to the rest. "These pokemon smugglers wanted to get payback."

"I agree. Though we still need answers as to where Kuzuki actually is." Clemont frowned. "There was an Officer Jenny that was with him. Maybe she helped him escape afterwards, but I'm not too sure about it." Clemont sighed and went back to thinking.

"I have an idea," Serena announced quietly. Everyone looked at her with uncertainty.

"If it's another one of your l-" Ash started.

"No!" Serena blurted out. "It's not that. If you would all hear me out." Everyone nodded. "Maybe Ivysaur knows something. He's always with him." Serena forced the idea to come out of her mouth. This was her way of trying to fix her relationship with Ash.

To her luck, Ash smiled. "That's a fantastic idea Serena!" Serena felt herself beam at his praise. "Ivysaur, want do you say?" Ash asked the seed pokemon.

"Ivy!" Much to their surprise, Ivysaur shook his head. "Ivysaur! Ivysaur! Ivy!"

"Hmm." Meowth was deep in thought.

"What did he say?" Ash questioned. He was disappointed when Ivysaur refused to answer.

"Ivysaur said that he doesn't want to talk about it. The experience was too uncomfortable to tell."

"Ivysaur!"

"Oh wow. Really?"

"What? What did he say?" Ash asked.

"We have to get to a pokemon center right away. There we can have the answers!" Meowth declared. "Lead the way twerps!"

"Not until we know why!" Ash exclaimed with narrowed eyes. Meowth looked at everyone else and sighed.

"Here's the deal. You see that video camera that Ivysaur has." Meowth pointed at the video camera that was currently tied around the seed pokemon's back with his vine. "Ivysaur informed me that Kuzuki documented some very interesting videos during the journey with the smugglers."

"Oh!" Clemont rose his index finger in realization. "Then we can find out where he is. Perhaps the smugglers are still there!"

"Ivysaur!" The seed pokemon nodded as if telling him that he was spot on.

"We were heading to Cyllage City before all this happened. Maybe there's a pokemon center on the way," Ash suggested. No one opposed his idea and they were soon getting ready to continue their trail.

"I'm sure Kuzuki wouldn't mind if I…" Bonnie excitingly grabbed Kuzuki's backpack and tried to put it on her back. This resulted in her toppling on her backside.

"Ah!" Bonnie attempted to get back on her feet but she couldn't even move an inch. Clemont sighed and shook his head.

"Bonnie, that is way too heavy for you. Why don't you le-"

"No!" Bonnie blurted out. Like magic she stood up. "I'm a big girl! I can carry Kuzuki's bag all on my own!" She declared confidently. Bonnie placed her hands on her hips and the sun's reflection almost made her look like a superhero. At least, that's Clemont's opinion. The older sibling was about to let her be until she fell back again.

"Aww." Bonnie whined when Clemont gestured her to take off the backpack. "Who's going to carry it then?" She asked her brother.

Observing everyone she saw Ash already having his backpack, much like Clemont and Serena. Even Ivysaur was occupied holding the video camera.

"Definitely not me," Serena acknowledged to the group. Clemont decided to ignore her comment.

"Not to worry. I got it." Clemont extracted his mechanical Aipom hand and grabbed the bag off of Bonnie's hands. "See? Problem fixed." Clemont smiled at his sister.

"Come on guys! Kuzuki needs our help. Every minutes counts!" Ash urged his friends to hurry up. He wanted to find his old friend safe and unharmed.

"Right! For Kuzuki!" Clemont said with his fist up to his chest.

Meowth rolled his eyes. "You twerps are forgetting about two other equally important people." Before any of them have a chance to respond Meowth began to follow the trail ahead of everyone else.

The group have made it a good ten minutes of walking in a quicker pace. As they were doing so curiosity struck Bonnie.

"I wonder.." She never really thought about what essentials Kuzuki carried in his backpack until now. As far as she knew his video camera was the only thing in there. Opening up the zipper she started to do her own personal search.

"Bonnie!" Clemont was forced to slow down due to his little sister pulling back on the backpack so she can pull stuff out.

"Just hold on!" She urged the blonde haired boy. Clutching the first thing that she could get in her hands.

"Aha! It's…" A look of horror was on her face. "Socks! Yuck!" She tossed the socks deeper inside the bag and kept on looking.

"An armband? There's a letter B on it..." Ivysaur immediately sped up faster. "Eh." Bonnie returned it back and continued her search.

"An extra pokeball!"

"A small bag of pokemon food!"

"A yo-yo! These things are so ancient!"

"Kuzuki's megaphone!" Bonnie marveled at the piece of eqipment.

"Candy!" Bonnie exclaimed happily. Clemont's swatted her hand away from the candy.

"You'll ruin your appetite. Besides, this is Kuzuki's candy. Not yours." Bonnie groaned loudly and put the candy back. Not a second later did her smile return and she kept on rummaging through the bag.

"How are you so happy right now?" Ash asked in wonder. "I've been worrying about Kuzuki all this time."

Bonnie frowned. "Well it's not like I'm not worried about Kuzuki. I just know that Kuzuki wouldn't let anything too severe happen to him or his pokemon. He's the type of person to find a way out of danger!" Bonnie praised the absent boy.

Ash still didn't seem one hundred percent sure but her words helped cool his eases. "You're right about one thing. Kuzuki would do anything to help his or any pokemon!" Kuzuki never failed to impress Ash. From their time together Ash quickly learned what type of person his old friend is.

Whether it's from traveling gym to gym or stopping Team Rocket's regular troublesome actions, hebalways shown a good heart even in the most dire situations. Ash's lightened up mood would soon go down.

"Right," Serena said with sarcasm in her voice. Ash slightly narrowed his eyes at the blonde girl. She was a whole different person a few days ago but now Ash had mixed feelings about the girl. He didn't like it when someone makes fun of his friends.

"He totally would!" Bonnie ignored the tone of Serena's voice, still at it with looking at the last bits of Kuzuki's backpack.

"Oooh! A bracelet!" Bonnie's eyes widened at the color. "And it's pink! I didn't know Kuzuki was a girl." She giggled as she put the accessory on her wrist. Bonnie saw that four specific beads has letters on them.

"Best." She read. "Why I am the best after all! Maybe I should keep it." Bonnie intentionally commented loudly. She dropped the bag. Clemont's head immediately perked up.

"Now Bonnie, what have I told you about taking things that aren't yours?" Clemont scolded his younger sibling.

"That I should keep it. Thanks!" Bonnie snickered and narrowly avoided the mechanical aipom hand that was coming towards her. "Catch me if you can brother!" She mused playfully.

Clemont sighed. "Please don't make m-" Bonnie dashed away from Clemont.

"Too late!" Bonnie ran circles around Clemont. Each swipe by his contraption missed. Although it was frustrating when she got like this, the older sibling smiled at his little sister.

"You can keep it until if-no, when we find Kuzuki." The genius boy corrected himself. Somewhere in that big brain of his has full faith that they'd find their missing friend.

"Yay!" Bonnie chirped glady. The little girl zipped the backpack, handed it back to Clemont, skipped alongside the trail and got in front of everyone else. While Bonnie was humming peacefully to herself, Serena let out a silent gasp.

"It can't be…" Serena whispered quietly. She quickened her pace to get a closer look. Though it did seem weird how Serena was staring at Bonnie's wrist, none of that mattered right now.

"Hey Bonnie," Serena mouthed as quiet as a mouse. Luckily she heard her. "D-do you mind if I see that bracelet for a second?"

"Sure! It's too pink for me anyways. I guess now you're the best," Bonnie joked. The little girl skipped back behind her in pursuit of Swinub. Serena grasped the accessory with a look of sadness in her eyes.

"Best friends..."

 ** _Flashback_**

 _"Pass me those scissors please."_

 _"Afraid not. Here, take these safety scissors instead." Camp counselor Chad handed the girl the cutting device. Young Serena grumbled under her breath and lazily took the scissors. She headed back to her table._

 _"Told you Chad wouldn't go for it." Kuzuki has a smug grin on his face. He trimmed the edges of his construction paper. The two were currently spending the afternoon in the arts and crafts center. Serena's love for the creativity made this one of their main places to be._

 _"Oh hush you." Serena stuck out her tongue and took her seat next to Kuzuki. Ever since she switched her cabin, most kids ignored her. Word spread that Serena was a tattle tail across the camp. Her desire to make new friends had hit a roadblock. But she didn't mind only having Kuzuki as a friend because she had grown to like the boy's personality._

 _"I don't know why you need grown up scissors. These work plenty fine." Kuzuki finished cutting his paper with ease._

 _"I need bigger scissors because these won't cut all the way through," Serena whined. She demonstrated what she meant by attempting to cut the piece of fabric in her hands. It barely made a cut. Serena slumped her head on the table._

 _"Don't be like that Siri. Just do what Chad always says, 'do the best you can' and whatnot," Kuzuki urged his friend to keep on trying. Instead he got the piece of fabric thrown at his face._

 _"Why do you even need to cut fabric?" Kuzuki asked as he removed the fabric from his face. "Us children should be focused on making snowflakes. See?" Kuzuki presented her the sloppy snowflake that he had constructed. "Or at least that's what Chad says." The boy frowned when Serena started laughing at his creation._

 _"Well this child wants to practice her fabric cutting skills." She noticed the look of dejection on Kuzuki's face because of his failed snowflake. "It looks fine. Really," She insisted._

 _"Thanks for trying to cheer me up Siri, but this looks like I just cut wherever I wanted to. It took me a really long time." Now it was Kuzuki's turn to slam his head on the table._

 _Serena retrieved the fabric back. "We can go do something else. I know you only agreed to come here because I wanted to." The girl stood up from her seat._

 _Kuzuki raised his hand. "No it's not that. I really do enjoy arts and crafts. It's just that I hate when it doesn't turn out right." He stared at Serena. "I never done this at home, camp being the first time that I actually got to do new things that I've always wanted to do."_

 _Serena tilted her head in confusion. "Why not do it at home?"_

 _Kuzuki fidgetted his fingers. "You see, my dad doesn't want me to do any of that stuff. Cutting, swimming, hiking, running, and basically anything exciting. He wants me to be a well mannered boy. I wouldn't have even come here if it wasn't for my mother. She wants me to have fun for a change. You wouldn't believe how enthusiastic I was," Kuzuki admitted. It wasn't a fun tale to talk about._

 _"By now I think I can," She teased. "So did you wear the suits and all that?"_

 _"Don't even get me started on the dumb tie! Dad always wants me to look my best when guests arrive," Kuzuki exasperated. "When I get back home in Fuschia City my life will be boring again. Where do you live by the way? Celadon City? Saffron? Vermilion?"_

 _Serena stared down at the floor. "Actually, I don't live in Kanto." She could tell that her friend was crestfallen at this. "I live in Vaniville Town. It's in the Kalos region." Serena grabbed her straw hat and placed it on her lap._

 _"Oh," He muttered sadly. "So we won't see each other after camp?" The two fell in an awkward silence._

 _"It doesn't mean we won't see each other again," She assured her friend. "It'll just take a while."_

 _"Yeah." Kuzuki grinned. "You're right. When I start my pokemon journey I'll make sure to visit Kalos. I promise!" He gave her a thumbs up. Serena held back the tears that were threatening to fall down her eyes. She never had any friends prior to the camp. Serena was a reserved person and was always by her mother's side. Now she has a friend who promised to visit her during his travels. A promise that'll take a few years until it's fulfilled._

 _"Now you're going to make me miss you more." Serena hugged the boy._

 _Kuzuki chuckled as he returned the hug. "How else would you remember who your best friend is Siri?" An idea popped in his head. "Oh! I have the perfect plan." He released the hold and sprung to the table where all the materials were at._

 _"Best friend," She repeated with a smile. The girl put her hat back on while Kuzuki returned to their spot. He dumped a yarn of string and a canister of beads on the table._

 _"What's all of this for?" Serena questioned._

 _"This…." He gestured the materials with his hands. "...will help us make friendship bracelets!" He announced, proud of his idea._

 _"A bracelet?" Kuzuki nodded. "That sounds like a lovely thing to make, but wouldn't you want something a bit more boyish?" She pointed at the pink yarn of string that he grabbed._

 _"Eh. Anything for the power of friendship!" He exclaimed with his fist in the air._

 _First they each cut a piece of string that they estimated would fit their wrist. They agreed to extend it a little more so they could wear it for as long as they please._

 _"Here's were the beads come in." Kuzuki grabbed a handful of white beads and inserted them into the string. Serena did the same._

 _"Now we use these." Kuzuki examined the lettered beads and took out eleven beads. "Here." He handed her seven of the beads. Serena sat and watched Kuzuki put the finishing touches on his bracelet._

 _"Wow! This looks so awesome." He showed her his complete creation. Serena found out that the four lettered beads spelled out the word:_ _best_

 _"Oh!" Serena realized what hers was suppose to spell out. A few minutes later she looked up from the table and saw Kuzuki with a pair of grown up scissors next to him._

 _"Kuzuki!" She gasped._

 _"Relax. I just cut that piece of fabric and added an extension to my bracelet." He revealed a tiny piece of fabric that was tied to the side of the accessory._

 _"It may seem like a silly thing to do but you know it doesn't have to be all pink."_

 _Serena giggled. "I finished mine!" She showed him her own bracelet that has the word_ _Friends_ _on it._

 _"Sweet!" Without warning Kuzuki lined up his wrists with hers so that the full phrase could be seen. "Best friends! Aren't I a genius?"_

 _Serena shyly nodded. "Thank you again for being my frien-best friend Kuzuki."_

 _The boy grinned at her. "No problem. You're a fun person to be around with. We're like two peas in a pod!" He beamed brightly._

 _Serena lamented at her home situation. During the first day she wanted nothing more than to go back to Kalos with her mother. Now all she wanted was to spend time with her best friend. There was still a large amount of days before camp was over and Serena made it her mission to make the best of it. She couldn't possibly imagine_ _not_ _staying friends with Kuzuki._

 _"Hey! So you're the one who took my big boy scissors!" Chad growled. Kuzuki caught Serena's free wrist and dragged her out of the building as fast as he could. All the while the two were laughing merrily at Chad's whining_.

 ** _End of Flashback_**

Serena let out a choked sob. Luckily for her, she was too far up from the rest and they couldn't hear her. She removed what appeared to be a hairband at first glance. But upon further examination the supposed hairband was actually a bracelet.

"Friends." She wanted to hate him. Hate him for everything that he hadvdone to ruin her life. But no matter how hard she tried she found out that it was much easier said than done. Her mother would question the origins of her _hairband_ to which she always brushed off.

She will always remember her first friend, good or bad. Her bracelet was always with her. She never wanted it to but realized that it was a difficult task to do so. The hatred she has for the boy will remain which is why she used it to tie her hair. So it wasn't in sight but still on her.

"Why's it so hard to hate someone?" Serena asked herself. She tied her _hairband_ back in a low ponytail and held on to the other one.

Bonnie watched with mild interest how the girl reacted. The young blonde haired girl was too busy trying to convince Meowth to translate what her Dedenne thought of her too pay full attention to her friend.

"But I want to know why he likes me!" Bonnie complained. Meowth grew more irritated by the second.

"Fine!" The lone Team Rocket member finally gave in. He crossed his arms and asked Dedenne to say what his thoughts were.

"Dedenne! Denne!" He cried out happily.

"He thinks your a wonderful trainer now leave me alone," Meowth hissed bitterly. He suddenly remembered why he hated kids.

"Swinub!" The pig pokemon thanked Meowth.

"No problemo. Even when we go back to being enemies after this, I didn't want you to be captured by a group that's not Team Rocket."

 ** _Swinub used Tackle_**

 ** _It's sensational!_**

"I was joking!" Meowth grimaced, clutching his torso in pain.

"That reminds me." Ash spoke up. "You never told us what happened back in the forest. I want to know the type of people we're going to come across." Truthfully, Ash wanted to know how powerful they were.

Meowth hesitated. On one hand he wanted to find out how his team was taken out. On the other he didn't want to be reminded about how easily he was taken out.

"Nub. Nub." Swinub made the choice for him and started retelling the events of earlier in the day.

"Shouldn't we get Serena?" Clemont pointed to the girl who was walking forward aimlessly.

"She wouldn't care," Ash remarked. "Please tell us what happened."

Curiosity got the best of Meowth. "Okay, Swinub here says that…."

 ** _Earlier…_**

….here goes nothing! Swinub, use Icy Wind on the ground!"

"Swinub!" Swinub unleashed his Icy Wind and froze the ground around them.

"Stupid boy!" One of the smugglers yelled. "Monferno! Use Ember on the frozen ground!"

"Chesnaught, use Pin Missiles!"

"Frogadier! Use Hydro Pump!"

"Toxicroak, Sludge Bomb!"

"Hell yeah! Diggersby, use Mud Shot at that Meowth!" All the incoming attacks made Kuzuki's pupils dilate. Luckily, Team Rocket had their counter.

"Wobbuffet, you know what to do!" Jessie reminded her pokemon.

"Wobbuffet!" The patient pokemon cried out and stood in front of everyone. Wobbuffet started to glow and all the attacks began to disappear at direct contact with Wobbuffet! Although, there was one that snaked its way around.

"Ow!" Meowth yelled. The mud shot weakened the talking pokemon. Kuzuki observed the men who gave greedy looks at Meowth.

"Tch. We're not having any of that! Magnezone, use Electro Ball at those idiots!" Bradshaw ordered. Soon everyone started to join in. Wobbuffet kept on absorbing the attacks but Kuzuki knew that he couldn't keep it up for much longer. He was losing a lot of energy from it. Meowth was the secondary objective, right behind Kuzuki. He couldn't let Bradshaw and his men have Meowth.

"Dartrix! When the attacks come again I want you to use Ominous Wind on Meowth. Make sure to use as much force as you can!" Dartrix gazed at his trainer confused. When the next set of attacks came Dartrix did as he was told.

"Coo! Coo!" The blade quill pokemon casted an Ominous Wind with his wings. Meowth was too tired to say anything and let himself get carried off by the attack. Meowth landed in a stray bush.

"Alright Team Rocket, we can't play defense forever. Wobbuffet doesn't look like he can withstand anymore attacks." Kuzuki got his pokemon in battle stance. "We're going to have to battle!"

"Right!" Jessie nodded. "Wait where's Meowth?" Jessie and James began to search for their fellow team member.

"Don't worry. He's not in harms way," Kuzuki assured the two. Before they had a chance to ask why he said that, the pokemon smugglers made their next move.

"Stupid Wobbuffet. Quick guys, use your pokemon's most powerful attacks on it!" Bradshaw commanded his team.

"Right sir!" They said altogether.

"Diggersby, use Mud Shot again! This time at that annoying Wobbuffet!" One of the pokemon smugglers ordered his pokemon first.

"Diggersby!" Diggersby unleashed his attack and Wobbuffet looked at the Mud Shot with concern.

"Not happening! Blastoise, I know you haven't perfected this move yet but use Hydro Pump on the Mud Shot!" Kuzuki pointed to the attack.

"Blastoise!" Blastoise, to his best ability used Hydro Pump. Much to his surprise, this time it didn't go wrong. The blast of water shot out from his cannons and made Diggersby attack disappear!

"Blast!" Bradshaw grew more angry. "Come on people. I didn't hire you all to lose to a kid and a failed team! We must use our number advantage!"

"Sir yes sir!" They all cried out in unison. The army became more serious.

"Watch your backs guys!" Kuzuki said. "This is for all the marbles! Nidoran and Dartrix! You guys are up first!"

"Nido!"

"Dartrix!" The two pokemon stepped forward.

"That goes for you too Inkay!" James declared. With the battle Inkay had a few minutes ago, he still looked ready for battle.

"Pumpkaboo, that goes for you as well!" The three prepared for the pokemon smugglers next move.

"Interesting." Bradshaw scanned his opponents. "Alright! Battle tactic number six. Get in your positions!" The army nodded and got into their respective positions.

"Number six!? I knew those morons were holding out on me." Kuzuki muttered. Those days he spent with the group got him familiar with their strategies. However, this one was new for him.

Two sets of Crobats, Honchcrows, and a Magnezone soared to the air. A group of Houndooms were placed at the center. The bigger pokemon such as Gigalith, Diggersby, Charizard, and Aggron stood alongside the Houndooms. The remaining pokemon were placed farther to the sides. Overall, this tactic made the three gulp in nervousness.

"Crobat! Use Supersonic followed by an Air Slash at Dartrix and Nidoran!" The Crobats unleashed their Supersonic which caused the two pokemon to become confused. The Crobats glided down to hit the two pokemon!

"Dartrix! Nidoran! Snap out of it quick!" Jessie and James had their own problems to deal with. The group of Houndooms snarled at them.

"Flamethrower at those two! Make sure to burn them to a crisp!" The Houndooms howled and released a powerful wave of fire. James made the first move.

"Inkay dodge it and use spread your Psybeam all around those Houndooms!" Jessie decided to piggyback on his command.

"Pumpkaboo, assist Inkay by shooting out your Leech Seed!" Together as a unit, Inkay's Psybeam distracted the Houndooms while Pumpkaboo's Leech Seed stealthy made its way to the group. The Houndooms were then trapped by the vines the popped out from the ground.

"Never underestimate the power of Team Rocket!" Jessie shouted arrogantly. "Now use Seed Bomb!"

Pumpkaboo blasted a barrage of Seed Bombs that exploded as soon as it made contact with the Houndooms. The Houndooms were down for the moment.

"No!" Kuzuki shouted as the Crobats managed to knock out his Dartrix. He had attempted to block off their attack by using Leaf Blade but the number advantage proved effective on Kuzuki. Nidoran was next.

"You know what to do boys!" Bradshaw yelled. Before Kuzuki had a chance to call back Dartrix in his pokeball, a net was thrown at the blade quill pokemon. The boy gasped as he watched the pokemon smugglers drag back the net to their side.

"Hey! It's the same exotic bird from all those months ago," One of the men said. "Haha! Now we can sell it off for good!"

"Dartrix!" Kuzuki screamed. His Dartrix was put in a cage and thrown off to the nearest truck. Kuzuki felt his blood boil.

"That's one down. Keep pushing!" Bradshaw boasted confidently. The Crobats cackled loudly.

"Let's take care of that little rat. Crobat use Poison Fang!" The Crobats set their eyes on Nidoran. They swooped down the air once more.

"Not going to work this time. Nidoran get out of there, quick!" The poison pin pokemon barely managed to avoid the group attack. "Blastoise, assist Nidoran by using Rapid Spin!"

The shellfish pokemon nodded affirmatively and jumped to the sky. Enclosing himself in his shell, Blastoise began to spin around fast and knocked down all the Crobats in the air!

"Alright!" Kuzuki praised his water type pokemon.

Bradshaw gritted his teeth. "Stupid boy! Magnezone, Thunder Shock on that Blastoise!"

"Take to the air Honchcrow! Use Dark Pulse!" The Honchcrows squawked and released their dark aura while Magnezone used Thunder shock.

"Oh no!" Kuzuki frantically tried to think of a way out of this. Blastoise stared at the incoming assaults.

"Wobbuffet!" The patient pokemon got in front of Blastoise and started to glow again. Team Rocket gasped. Their Wobbuffet sacrificed himself for Blastoise.

The strikes hit Wobbuffet and a large explosion soon followed.

"Wobbuffet!" Jessie cried out in worry. Unfortunately, when the smoke cleared out Wobbuffet lied on the ground with swirls in his eyes.

"Oh come on!" Bradshaw deadpanned at the stupid decision. "Whatever. Just capture it already." Another net flew through the air and caught Wobbuffet. The net was retracted back and the patient pokemon was forced in a cage too.

"No!" The two Team Rocket members glared at the pokemon smugglers with fury. "Give us back our Wobbuffet!"

Bradshaw chuckled. "Nah. I think I'll keep that Wobbuffet. It makes a good human shield!" The man laughed maniacally. "Let's wrap this up boys!"

"Charizard! Take charge!" One of the smugglers called out. The Charizard roared ferociously and focused his attention at the weak Blastoise!

"That goes for you too Diggersby!" The digging pokemon launched himself in the air and landed on the ground with a loud thud. He turned to his attention to Nidoran.

"Diggersby!" Diggersby began laughing loudly at the size advantage that he has on Nidoran.

"Don't judge a book by its cover!" Kuzuki warned the two. "Nidoran! Use Poison Jab on Diggersby!" The poison pin pokemon ran across the grass and neared the digging pokemon. However, the pokemon smuggler had other ideas.

"Now!" Diggersby's trainer shouted. In an instant, the Magnezone, Honchcrows, and Diggersby striked at the same time. Stunned by the sudden revelation, Kuzuki was too late to tell Nidoran to dodge it.

"Nido!" Nidoran shrieked as the multiple attacks struck him. Another huge explosion followed. The impact of the pokemons power left a medium crater in the ground. Nidoran was at the bottom of it unconscious.

"No! Nidoran!" Kuzuki grew more desperate watching Nidoran dealing with the same fate as the other two pokemon. He was down to two pokemon.

"Blastoise!" The shellfish pokemon taunted Charizard. Even though Blastoise was weak, his personality hasn't changed a bit.

"This one's mine boy!"Charizard's' trainer acknowledged to his comrades. "You all just focus on those two dimwits." He pointed to the Jessie and James. The two noticed this and prepared for any threat coming their way.

"Blastoise!"

"Charizard!" The two starter pokemon charged at each other. They wrestled in a test of strength. Seeing his Blastoise begin to falter Kuzuki let out a command.

"Skull Bash on Charizard!" A silvery aura surrounded Blastoise's body. The shellfish pokemon rammed his head with as much force that he had left on Charizard's head. The fire type pokemon immediately crashed down on the ground.

Bradshaw scoffed. "This one's mine my ass. Manectric, keep ramming Blastoise with Wild Charge. Don't stop until it collapses!" Bradshaw clenched his fist in the air with an evil grin.

"Manectric!" The discharge pokemon embedded itself with electricity and ran towards Blastoise.

"Keep on dodging it Blastoise!" Kuzuki shouted frantically, not wanting to lose another one of his pokemon. Despite its weakened state, Blastoise surprisingly dodged the move with ease. Manectric growled and moved in for another one with the same result.

Kuzuki sensing an opening let Blastoise know what to do next. "Hit Manectric with your Aqua Tail!" Manectric already charging at Blastoise couldn't stop his speed momentum in time. The shellfish pokemon roared and swiped his tail at the discharge pokemon. Waves of water appeared during the Aqua Tail attack and sent Manectric tumbling down on the ground.

Before Blastoise had a chance to recover he felt a pair of arms wrap around his head tightly.

"Now! Lift him as high as you can Charizard!" Charizard's trainer instructed. In a blink of a second Charizard hauled Blastoise up in the air in a flash.

"Escape his hold with Withdraw!" Blastoise attempted to use Withdraw so he can protect himself with his hardened shell. Unfortunately, the tight grip Charizard had on Blastoise's neck prevented him to do so. Bradshaw smirked wickedly at his men's smart strategy. The man could've swore that they were at least sixty feet high up in the air. Bradshaw was impressed at the Charizard's strength.

"Seismic Toss all the way to the ground! Don't hold back!" Charizard's trainer bellowed. The flame pokemon shut its eyes and flipped over the shellfish pokemon. They started to descend rapidly to the ground. The collision couldn't have been more powerful.

"No!" Kuzuki fell to his knees. After the smoke cleared out it revealed a huge crater that deeply tore through the ground. It turned out that both pokemon went unconscious as a result of the collision.

"What's the matter boy?" Bradshaw taunted. His men captured Blastoise while Charizard was called back into its pokeball. Kuzuki had now lost three out of his four pokemon that were currently with him. He silently thanked himself for letting Ivysaur tag along with the others to find the bamboo sprig. Not that it didn't matter anymore, Pangoro was caught by the pokemon smugglers.

"Swinub…" The pig pokemon shivered in fear after seeing his friends suffer a terrible fate. He cowered behind Kuzuki. The intense battles terrified him.

"Dartrix….Nidoran...Blastoise…." Kuzuki hung his head low in shame, shame that he let his pokemon down. A couple of stray tears fell down his face.

"What's the matter Mr. Sakai? Finally been bested? Aww, are you crying? Do you need your pathetic mommy to give you a kiss?" Bradshaw belly laughed at his joke. Kuzuki felt insulted that he bad mouthed his mother like that.

"Leave my mom out of this!" He cried out. Bradshaw continued laughing at the boy.

"Swinub!" Swinub defended his trainer, ignoring his fears at the moment. Bradshaw halted his laughter and stared at the pig pokemon.

"Oh how could I forget? You still have another pokemon left. That runt isn't worth my time." Bradshaw boasted arrogantly.

Meanwhile, the Team Rocket members were barely fending off their opponents, Aggron and Gigalith. Due to their speed, Inkay and Pumpkaboo were able to keep battling.

"Rock Slide on those two!" Their trainers both spoke. Aggron and Gigalith nodded at each other. They summoned a pile of rocks and were ready to heave them at Jessie and James' pokemon!

"Don't lose hope Inkay! Use your ink to confuse the Aggron and Gigalith!" Inkay obeyed his trainer and squirted out a beam of ink at both of their eyes.

Momentarily stunned, Aggron and Gigalith decided to finish their Rock Slide attack anyways. However, most of the rocks missed due to their blurry vision.

"Inkay!" James expressed his concern for Inkay as he was hit by a lucky rock that was somehow thrown directly at the revolving pokemon.

"Wait what's going on!?" James commented, confused when Inkay started to glow. Jessie gaped at this.

"Inkay's evolving!" Jessie screamed in shock. True to her words, when the glowing faded away Inkay wasn't there. Instead.

"Malamar!" Malamar cried out in pride. Malamar resembled his pre evolution form but more larger and its body was flipped upside down. Malamar had eight tentacles on his head. His beady yellow eyes stared at the two opponents.

Distracted by the evolution, Malamar took this chance to test out his more powerful physic powers. Aggron let out a terrified noise as soon as he was being lifted off the ground. Gigalith followed as well.

"Wow! My Inkay evolved into a Malamar!" James exclaimed proudly. He took out his device to scan his newly evolved pokemon. Jessie smacked the back of his head.

"This is no time for that! Tell Malamar what to do!" Jessie barked at her fellow Team Rocket member.

"Right!" James chuckled embarrassingly. "Malamar, use Hypnosis on those two bothersome pokemon!"

"Malamar…" The overturning pokemon's voice trailed off while he performed his physic move. Both Aggron and Gigalith have dazed looks on their faces. Malamar whispered something followed by a laugh. The smugglers pokemon glared at one another and began attacking each other!

"What?! Aggron stop hitting your teammate!" Aggron's trainer ordered him but to no avail. The two goliaths were neck and neck when it came to strength.

"Aggron!" The iron armor pokemon slammed into Gigalith with great force. Gigalith was temporarily dazed by this. Aggron picked up the compressed pokemon and slammed him to the ground. A huge dent was made.

"Malamar." The overturning pokemon grabbed the two and tossed them away with ease. More pokemon joined the fight after seeing their two powerful allies fall.

"Chesnaught!"

"Frogadier!"

"Toxicroak!" These three also fell victim to Malamar's abilities. James gazed at his evolved pokemon in awestruck wonder.

"Wow…" Malamar turned to its trainer and smiled. James returned the gesture.

"Now Diggersby!" Malamar sensed a new foe approaching and got to battle stance. Diggersby glared at Malamar for taking down his comrades.

A loud roar came from above. Charizard dropped down with his ally. Pumpkaboo joined his partner and made it an even match.

"Let's show them what you're made of now Malamar!"

Bradshaw observed the scene in amusement.

"Looks like I'm needed elsewhere. I'll let the Houndooms finish you two off." The man whistled and the same group of Houndooms rushed to them.

"Sick 'em!" Bradshaw left Kuzuku and Swinub at the mercy of the Houndooms. They howled angrily at them.

"Don't be afraid Swinub. You're a strong pokemon even if you don't know it," Kuzuki encouraged his pig pokemon.

Feeling more brave, Swinub challenged the group of dark pokemon. One of the Houndoom's looked ready to unleash its flamethrower attack.

"Swinub, use Mud Shot at that Houndoom!" Kuzuki pointed to the specific Houndoom. Just as Houndoom released his breath of fire a fierce Mud Shot struck his eyes. In a state of frenzy, the Houndoom used Flamethrower all around his area including his allies.

This caused the other dark pokemons to do the same. All havoc broke loose. The group of Houndooms ran all around the forest breathing out breaths of fire!

"What're you doing you stupid mutts!" One of the pokemon smugglers shouted. He was greeted by a burst of fire. "Ah! Stop! Drop! And roll!"

The fire burnt all the trees and grass within the area. Pokemon smugglers also received the same fate. Rolling on the ground caused patches of their clothing to fall apart.

"Malamar?" Malamar dodged the flamethrower attack from one of the Houndoom's but Pumpkaboo wasn't so lucky.

Hearing a thud, Malamar turned around to see his friend on the ground unconscious. This action was proved fatal when Malamar was tackled to the ground by Charizard. Diggersby carried Pumpkaboo to some of the unharmed smugglers. Meanwhile, Charizard was pinning Malamar to the ground and the flame pokemon started beating him with its wings.

Roaring in triumph, Charizard tossed the passed out pokemon next to the recovered smugglers.

"Use the special cage!" One of them yelled. The flame pokemon flew to their direction and lifted a tall cage with a force field.

"Malamar no!" James wailed. His newly evolved pokemon was taken away before his very eyes.

"Swinub!" The two Team Rocket members saw a flaming hot Swinub soar through the air and land in an undamaged bush.

"Too bad boy." Bradshaw laughed arrogantly. He dragged an unconscious Kuzuki by the arms. All who was left in the fight was Team Rocket.

"James…" Jessie croaked out. James covered her and glared at the smugglers.

"If you want Jessie then you're going to have to go through m-" James was silenced by a Mud Shot to the head. Jessie scampered away while James is also being taken.

"Everything is going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright. Everything is going to be alri-ah!" Jessie screamed in pain when she felt a thousand bolts of electricity strike her from behind.

"Manectric, good job." Bradshaw celebrated his victory with everyone. All the objectives were captured and placed into the trucks. All except for two.

"Ah forgot those two pokemon. Wherever they are. We got better fish to fry. Men! Back to headquarters!"

"Sir yes sir!" They repeated in unison. The sound of engines came and soon faded away from the destructive scene.

 ** _Present..._**

Ash gritted his teeth and stared up to the sky. Meowth finished translating Swinub's final retelling.

"Now we know how much danger Kuzuki is in. We have to figure out where to go fast!" But before anyone could say anything Ash heard something from in the distance.

"Wonder what that noise was," Ash wondered aloud.

"Pika." Pikachu also seemed to hear something.

"Huh? What noise?" Serena asked. The group stayed silent so they could hear whatever their friend was hearing.

"I didn't hear anything," Clemont added in.

"This twerp's gone crazy!" Meowth hollered. "We shouldn't be standing here! Time's a wasting!" Meowth ears perked up. "Wait what the heck is that?" Meowth cleaned his ear with his paw to make sure if he was hearing right.

Just then, the sound of a vehicle was prominent to everyone. A jeep was up a few feet up the air and dove back down in full speed. In the jeep was a man by himself. He drove past the group with no concern for their safety.

Serena nearly dropped her bracelet. "What is that guy's problem?" She questioned in annoyance, holding her accessory close.

"Out of the way!" A female voice ordered loudly. Behind them was an Officer Jenny in her motorcycle who was going the same speed as the man. Clemont lost his balance and fell once Officer Jenny drove past them.

"If Officer Jenny is after that mug then he must be wanted!" Meowth explained. Clemont got back up to his feet.

"There could be trouble!" Bonnie replied worried.

"I'm sure she can handle it all by her lonesome. That women can put up a fight. Trust me I know." Meowth shuddered. "We should continue our way to the pokemon center!"

Ash wasn't totally on board with letting that man away but Meowth did bring up a good point. Before a decision was made Ivysaur began running after them. One good look at the scene got the seed pokemon riled up.

"Ivy! Ivysaur!"

"Ivysaur says we have to follow them. They might lead us to some answers!" Meowth translated Ivysaur's departing words. With that in mind, the group rushed behind Ivysaur.

 ** _Elsewhere..._**

James' eyelids slowly rose. His vision was still a bit hazy. His body was in pain. The area around him was dark. The sound of vehicles driving filled his ears.

"J-jessie." He shook Jessie and woke her up. Well, the feeling of the vehicle jumping woke her up.

"Ouch!" She was laid out on the hard surface. "Huh? Where are we?"

"They got us." Kuzuki's voice spoke. "We're in the back of one of their trucks. Don't bother with the back door, it won't budge." He slammed his fist on the locked back door.

"Quiet down there you damn boy!" A voice shouted from the other side of the wall. Now it was clear that they were in a truck.

"What do we do?" Jessie voice was quiet.

"They're taking us back to their headquarters that's near Camphrier Town. The people there won't suspect a thing. They're too friendly." Kuzuki stared at the floor.

"All we can do now is wait."

 ** _Author's Note: This is going to be a long Author's Note. Update, new story summary and image cover. Chapter six has been completed. I thought I was a bit bland with the Pokemon battles but they were decent enough for my liking. James' Inkay evolved after all the hard fought battling for its trainer, which is a new concept that I want to try out. Serena's urge to keep her ex best friend out of her way is conflicted with her emotions. The past has caught up to her even if she doesn't want it to. And finally Kuzuki, Jessie, and James whereabouts are revealed. What will happen when they arrive at the smugglers headquarters? How will chasing down a mystery man in a jeep help Ash and his friends find more clues? Stay tune for Chapter Seven: Smuggler's Delight!_**


	7. Smuggler's Delight

_Chapter 7: Smuggler's Delight_

"Malamar," James muttered to himself sadly. He had just gotten his Inkay to evolve until those men took his pokemon. James wasn't sure if he would ever see his pokemon again.

Jessie wasn't doing so hot either. Her newly caught pokemon was taken from her too. Not to mention that Wobbuffet, the pokemon that she has known for a long time during their travels across most of the regions was captured. The patient pokemon was gone, maybe for good.

Kuzuki stayed silent for the entire trip. The events of earlier taking a toll on him. If only if he wasn't a weak trainer then he could've put up a better fight. Kuzuki admitted to himself that James put up a better fight. His Malamar managed to knockout some pokemon. Kuzuki always thought that he was a strong trainer but the showdown proved him wrong. Even if it was an army against three the boy thought he could've put up a better fight.

"How did I even make it to the conferences?" Kuzuki began doubting his abilities. Just then, he felt the vehicle stop moving. He heard voices from the outside.

"We're here," The boy announced. The back door opened. The sunlight blinded the three for a few seconds due to their eyes adjusting from the darkness.

Bradshaw revealed himself to be the one who opened it. He grinned maniacally at them.

"Oh we're going to have some fun with you three."

 _ **Elsewhere...**_

Dolan scowled, he was forced by his boss, Bradshaw to go on this mission. Not that Dolan didn't want to miss an opportunity to cage more Scatterbugs, though he really wanted to go with the team to get that little nuisance, Kuzuki. When Bradshaw found out that there was a valuable piece of merchandise a few towns over he ordered the Scatterbug specialist, Dolan to retrieve it.

What really pissed Dolan even more was that he was also forced to let a rookie borrow his Diggersby for the upcoming ambush against the boy. Without protection, Dolan's mission was to get Scatterbug unnoticed. It was going well until a certain blue haired officer decided to meddle in his affairs.

"Hey! Stop the car!" The female officer commanded. The sirens coming from her motorcycle let Dolan know how close the distance between them was. Dolan needed a way to get her off his trail without the use of a pokemon.

"Like I'm going to listen to what you say, give me a break Jenny!" Dolan's jeep hopped off the hill with Officer Jenny in tow. The man noticed that they were approaching a group of trees. He smirked, there was one thing Bradshaw gave him in case if he was being followed.

"Come back here!" Officer Jenny drove as fast as she could. She had to get that smuggler! Dolan is one of the many smugglers that escaped her unit's bust a few months ago. Officer Jenny knew all about Dolan and his specialty. She's been chasing him ever since that day and now she's so close to accomplish this task.

"Bradshaw's next," The officer mumbled to herself. Just a few more feet and Dolan would be all hers.

"See if you dodge this!" Dolan cackled as he threw a sharp gadget in front of him. Officer Jenny didn't recognize the contraption and was unprepared for what came next.

"Manectric!" The electric type warned its trainer of the incoming tree that was collapsing. Stopping her vehicle, Officer Jenny cursed as her path was cut off. She could hear Dolan's laughter fading from the distance.

"Not going to happen!" The officer drove around the tree and continued her pursuit to the criminal. She failed to notice the cage near a bush.

 _ **Later...**_

Ash and his friends were still chasing the tracks of the smuggler. Clemont kept on wheezing and eventually fell on his knees from exhaustion.

"I can't go on!" He complained, taking several deep breaths. The blonde haired boy wasn't much of an outdoors person. Bonnie, on the other hand wasn't even a little tired. She stared at her brother annoyed.

"Come on big brother!" Bonnie whined. "Get a grip." Clemont looked at his sister in disbelief as she stood over him. The realization hit that his younger sister was more physically fit than him. He was about to confront this anomaly until something caught his eye.

"Huh? What's that?" Clemont questioned. This got everyone's attention. Meowth stepped forward to inspect the mystery object.

"Hmm. It appears to be a cag-oh wait! Something's coming out!" Meowth exclaimed. The rest stood back as a worm-like creature came crawling out.

"I've never seen that before," Ash muttered, scanning the pokemon with his Pokédex. Meowth and Scatterbug locked eyes with each other. The scatterdust pokemon growled at the others.

"It looks like it's trying to scare us off," Clemont predicted. Meowth, offended, tried to do the same and showed Scatterbug his sharp claws.

"Bring it bub!" Meowth challenged. Scatterbug stopped for a hot second before bursting into tears. Everyone gasped.

"Oh no!" Ash cradled the bug type in his arms. "Don't cry Scatterbug," Ash pleaded. Scatterbug stared at the trainer and fainted.

"What happened? Did he die from fright?" Bonnie squeaked out in fear. Never before has she seen a pokemon die in her life. Never ever. She hasn't even seen one evolve!

"No, it just fainted," Clemont clarified for his sister. Bonnie let out a relieved sigh. "It looked kind of weak though. I think it passed out from exhaustion."

"We've got to take it to the pokemon center," Ash quipped.

"Lucky we were headed to the center anyways." Meowth spoke. "Otherwise we would've been off track from our main priority."

Ash looked conflicted. "There's no way I'd leave an injured pokemon here. But Kuzuki would also need my help."

"There's no time to think about that now. Scatterbug needs medical attention, fast!" Clemont replied.

"Then let's go! Geez, you twerps talk too much!" Meowth said, annoyed at the precious time they're waiting. Everyone glared at the talking pokemon's ignorance for other pokemons safety. Ignoring the rude comment, Ash and his friends continued their trek to the pokemon center. Almost everyone.

"More running," Clemont groaned. He watched his friends and sister go without him. Taking a few deep breaths, he began marching forward until he noticed that Ivysaur lingered by the cage. "Hmm? What's the hold up Ivysaur?" Clemont asked the seed pokemon.

"Ivy…" Ivysaur glared at the cage. Clemont, sensing his edginess at the cage, decided to take a peek himself.

"Let's see what's gotten you upset." Clemont observed the sides of the cage and found a label on it. It read:

 **Bradshaw Inc.**

 _ **One long walk later...**_

The group finally made it to a nearby Pokémon Center and made a beeline to the Nurse Joy working there. Nurse Joy was surprised by their sudden appearance. Then again, most trainers usually come in like this with their pokemon needing to be healed.

Ash hurriedly handed the weak Scatterbug to Nurse Joy. "Nurse Joy, please help Scatterbug!" Ash addressed the situation at hand. Nurse Joy placed the Scatterbug on a stretcher and gave Ash a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Wigglytuff will take care of it." Wigglytuff rolled the stretcher to another room.

"Thanks so much," Ash thanked the nurse. Pikachu nodded in relief of Scatterbug's safety. Just then, Clemont walked through the doors along with Ivysaur.

"Sorry we took so long." Clemont placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Ivysaur glanced at the blonde haired boy, concerned for his physical well-being. Bonnie approached her brother.

"Wow Clemont, I didn't know that you were that slow." Clemont flushed, embarrassed by his sister's words.

"It wasn't so much of me being slow." Bonnie gave him an unconvinced look. "Alright maybe a little but I found out who wanted Scatterbug," Clemont announced. Bonnie and Serena tuned in to what Clemont has to say while Ash talked to Nurse Joy.

"What's the catch, eh?" Meowth questioned the boy.

"You see." Clemont removed his focus from the screen with pictures of Vivillons. "The cage where Scatterbug was, it's made by the same person who-" Clemont didn't get to finish his explanation due to a piece of rope being tied around Ash's wrist.

Ash gasped. "I got you now! Don't make a move or you'll be in more trouble than you're already in!" A voice shouted. It turned out to be none other than Officer Jenny!

"Move!?" Ash sputtered. "You've already got me tied up!" He retorted to the officer only for the rope's grip on his wrist to tighten.

"Believe me, I know who you are. If you have that stolen Scatterbug then you must work for that idiot, Dolan!" She gave a mean glare towards the boy.

"Ivy! Ivysaur!" Ivysaur snatched the backpack from Clemont's mechanical Aipom hand. Clemont yelped, surprised at the sudden action. While everyone else kept arguing about the "crime" Ivysaur took something out of the bag and rushed towards the officer.

"Ivysaur!" His words were muffled by the piece of fabric in his mouth. Officer Jenny widened her eyes and relaxed her grip on the rope, but not fully to the point that Ash still couldn't escape. With her other hand, the officer grabbed the article of clothing. She recognized it immediately.

"If you have this then you must be Kuzuki's Ivysaur," Officer Jenny concluded. Ivysaur nodded affirmatively. The officer smiled before her face darkened more than before. She tightened the rope's grip on Ash and even pulled him closer to her.

"You stole Kuzuki's Ivysaur then! No one does anything to that boy and gets away with it! You're in even more trouble for smuggling and stealing!" Officer Jenny barked. Her Manectric growled and looked ready to attack.

"Ah! Okay, now that really hurts!" Ash moaned in pain. Ash's friends started to argue with the officer to let him go.

"Ivysaur! Ivy! Ivy!" The seed pokemon frantically shook his head and began hopping up in the air. Officer Jenny stopped her "assault."

"What? You don't want me to lock him up?" Ivysaur nodded. "Oh, so he's with you. Then that means..." The grass type nodded again and Officer Jenny let go of Ash. Pikachu quickly examined his trainer to see if he was okay.

"It's alright Pikachu. It just stings a bit, that's all." Ash patted Pikachu on the head. He then turned to the officer. "We wanted to help you catch that pokemon smuggler earlier. On the way we found a big cage and Scatterbug was coming out of it," Ash explained.

"Somehow, the pokemon smuggler must've dropped the cage," Nurse Joy added, still shaken up by the whole ordeal. Officer Jenny registered the words in her head.

"I'm so sorry. I'm always jumping to conclusions." The officer covered her face with her hat, embarrassed of herself. "And then I mess things up."

Ash took a second to respond. "Don't worry about it. It's okay now, I guess. But didn't you use a little too much aggression? The other officers I've met don't usually do that." Ash emphasized his words by rubbing his wrists.

"I'm so sorry," Officer Jenny apologised again. "It's just that I thought you were a smuggler." Her mood saddened. "And I really have a grudge against them ever since that day."

Before any of them could ask what she was talking about, Wigglytuff came back with a happy Scatterbug.

"Scatterbug look's fine now," Nurse Joy said.

Meowth scratched his head. "How did Scatterbug recover so fast. Its only been a minute. This center don't make a load of sense!" His comment went unheard, everyone was too busy admiring the Scatterbug.

"Oh, that reminds me." They all turned their attention to Clemont. "That cage Scatterbug was in, it has this label. It says Bradshaw Inc. I'm positive that that's the name of the guy who Swinub mentioned."

Officer Jenny placed her hands on Clemont rather roughly. "Bradshaw?! What do you know about him? Come on boy, I want answers!" Officer Jenny demanded. Instead, she was met by Clemont's slurred words. The boy flushed red for some reason.

"That's where my pure genius mind comes in." Meowth waved his paw around the officer.

"A talking Meowth? You know, I've heard about you from the other officers." Officer Jenny narrowed her eyes. Meowth stepped back.

"Uh no y-you got the wrong Meowt-wait no! I mean….meow?" Meowth grinned innocently.

"Not to be rude or anything, Miss Jenny." Bonnie's small voice spoke. "Can you please find my friend?" She asked, hopeful that an officer can help their case.

Officer Jenny smiled sincerely at Bonnie. "Of course little one. That's my job after all." She looked at everyone. "So which pokemon are we looking for?"

Ash rubbed his neck. "Actually, it's not a pokemon." Officer Jenny raised an eyebrow. "It's our human friend, he was taken earlier by a group of men."

Officer Jenny felt her shoulders tense. This sounded all too familiar to her.

"Which also explains why Ivysaur is with us," Clemont, who recovered from the embarrassment, replied to the officer. "And it also explains how we sort of know Bradshaw."

By now, Officer Jenny pulled her hat down again and stared at the floor. "Not again…" She muttered.

"Our friend Kuzuki was taken by pokemon smugglers."

"Hey! Don't forget Team Rocket too you lump of coal!"

Officer Jenny slammed her hat to the ground. Everyone jumped at this. Ivysaur walked up to her and stared at the officer with sympathy.

"Alright you four and the Meowth, you're going to tell me what happened, right now!" Officer Jenny angrily demanded the group.

 _ **One mournful explanation later...**_

"...and that's the gist of it," Meowth explained the entire story to the officer. Clemont grew confused at first. The Officer Jenny looked conflicted ever since she came in. With Meowth retelling the earlier events, Clemont believed that he found the answer to the question that they were all thinking.

"Excuse me Officer Jenny," Clemont started. "By any chance were you the Officer Jenny that helped Kuzuki out when he first went with this Bradshaw guy?"

Officer Jenny sighed. "Yes...I am." Bonnie brightened at her clarification.

"Then you can take us to where they took Kuzuki!" Much to her disappointment, Officer Jenny shook her head.

"I wish I could help you out but I don't even know where their darn base is," The officer admitted truthfully.

Ash tilted his head in confusion. "But I thought you were the one who found him," Ash said.

"I know what I said!" Officer Jenny replied more louder than she was before. She buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry for my behavior. This is just too much for me."

Bonnie hugged her leg. "It's okay Miss Jenny, we all get sad at some point."

Clemont grabbed his sister using his mechanical Aipom hand. "Don't just hug people like that Bonnie. You know better," Clemont scolded his sister. "Please excuse Bonnie, she can be a bit hands on when it comes to people."

Officer Jenny gave the boy a sad smile. "It's quite alright, I needed a hug anyways." Bonnie stuck out her tongue at her older brother who grumbled in response.

"Back to my earlier point," Officer Jenny said. "When I brought back Kuzuki from those awful smugglers he had some...issues if you may." She hesitated at her wording. "So I stayed with him until he felt better. It took a while but he told me what happened with the smugglers." The officer shuddered when she recalled what went down.

"What did happen?" Bonnie's curiosity got the better of her. The rest looked at the officer expectantly.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that. Kuzuki should be the one to tell you guys himself." Like Ivysaur, Officer Jenny refused to answer too. "What I can tell you is that he despises fire types more now."

Although no one else saw it, due to her training with the police force, Officer Jenny caught Serena visibly flinch at her words. The officer decided to let it slide.

"I wonder why Kuzuki doesn't like fire types," Clemont wondered out loud. This was new information to him.

Ash pitched in. "Back during our earlier journey I noticed that he didn't like fire types. When I kept a Charmander…" Serena flinched again. "...Kuzuki didn't want to be near Charmander. When my evolved Charmander started being disobedient, Kuzuki stayed away even more whenever I released him." Ash's explanation caught the attention of Bonnie. Officer Jenny caught Serena's distraught behavior once more, she'll have to question her about it later.

"Boring!" Meowth cried out. "Why are we standing here doing nothing? Team Ro-er…" Meowth remembered that an officer was with them. "I mean my two pals! They need help." Meowth grinned nervously as Officer Jenny stared at him.

"What happened to ' _meow_?' " She asked, amused at his nervousness. Meowth figured out what she was trying to do and narrowed his eyes. No one disrespects a member of Team Rocket!

"Fury Swipes!" Meowth lunged at the officer but was stopped mid-air by Ivysaur's vines. "Hey! What's the big idea bub?" The talking pokemon sneered.

"Ivy. Ivysaur!"

"How is she going to help us? I'm still not getting the picture here." Ivysaur let go of Meowth and directed his attention to the device on the floor. Meowth nodded understandably.

"Jenny," Meowth hissed. "I'd like to formally apologize for my actions," Meowth said with clear restraint in his voice. He had no choice, they needed her to help find his team. Team Rocket, the two who have been with him for a long time. Meowth couldn't see himself without them. This was for Jessie and James.

"Will you please help us?" Meowth pleaded desperately.

To his relief, Officer Jenny nodded. "Of course, it is my job after all. Plus it'll help me catch those run away smugglers." She frowned. "But I still have no idea where they are. Kuzuki told me they had to relocate again because of insufficient storage. However, he couldn't remember where they took him. I believe they did something to alter his memory, it wouldn't surprise me considering the type of technology they have. Take a look." Officer Jenny pulled out what Dolan threw at the tree during the chase. Naturally, Clemont was intrigued by the object.

"Mind if I take a look officer." Officer Jenny handed the device to Clemont, who took it eagerly. "Wow, look at this marvelous contraption!" The blonde haired boy's gleeful mood turned into a surprised one once he examined the sides carefully.

"What is it Clemont?" Ash asked.

"K S," Clemont said. He showed them the letters. "I recognize this as one of Kuzuki's gadgets. They are his initials, see. He put them on Clembot's foot." He turned to the officer. "What does it do exactly?"

"Careful. It's spiky," She warned as she showed him the small button on the device. Clemont placed it on a nearby table and push the button.

"Ah!" He yelped when the spikes activated immediately. Luckily he didn't get hurt.

"It be better if it stayed with me." Clemont nodded and handed it back to Officer Jenny. Everyone took a seat and started discussing their ideas.

"All this talk about pokemon smugglers got me thinking. I never heard of one until today. What do they do exactly?" Ash asked with curiosity while Scatterbug was placed on the table.

"Pokemon smugglers are cruel people who steal pokemon and then sell them to malicious pokemon collectors all over the world," She explained with bitterness.

"First they steal pokemon and then sell them online?" Serena asked, perplexed by the situation and also talking for the first time in a while.

Officer Jenny curtly nodded. "Spot on. Dolan is the pokemon smuggler you all saw earlier. He's one of the few still part of Bradshaw's crew. Dolan's speciality is on Vivillon, so he takes any defenseless Scatterbugs and Spewpas his treacherous hands can get on," The officer explained in a seriously manner.

Serena's hand went over her mouth in shock. "That means he must be keeping them at his hideout, all those poor Scatterbug and Spewpa," Serena ended with a look of despair.

"Hmm." Meowth was deep in thought. He was about to tell the officer about their possible solution but all the talk about smuggling got him thinking.

"Right. So once they evolve into Vivillon, he sells them in a premium." Everyone turned into a state of anger at this.

"That's no excuse for that! What an awful person!" Ash snapped. Pikachu agreed with his trainer. Meanwhile, Ivysaur was trying to get Meowth's attention, overhearing the conversation, the seed pokemon grimaced since he knew from his own experience.

"He stinks!" Bonnie said with distaste.

"Disgusting!" Clemont agreed with his younger sister.

"He's the worst!" Serena's comment caught the attention of the officer.

"It could've been a lot worse. Thanks to Kuzuki, we were able to retrieve a good chunk of Spewpa, Scatterbug, Vivillon, and along with the rest of the pokemon that were caught by Bradshaw and his team. I heard from Kuzuki himself that he also helped release pokemon from Bradshaw's grasp way before I met him. You all have a good friend with a good heart." Officer Jenny finished with a smile.

"I don't know about that." Serena didn't mean to say that out loud. Luck was on her side, Scatterbug took all the incoming attention away from her when it started running in circles.

"Scatterbug is getting restless," Officer Jenny informed them, forgetting about Serena's comment for the moment. Scatterbug stopped running and started to glow. In a flash, it evolved into Spewpa.

"Spewpa!" The scatterdust pokemon cried in a hush tone. Everyone gasped in astonishment. Ash scanned it with his Pokédex. Once done, Spewpa spreaded his fur out. Bonnie took this opportunity to ask one of her questions.

"Hey, since we just saw Scatterbug evolve, can you teach me about evolution?" Bonnie asked excitingly. Clemont smirked and patted his chest. He was about to answer his sister's question until Ash of all people beat him to it.

"Sure! I know all about evolution," Ash said with pride. Bonnie leaned in to listen carefully. "Evolution starts when a pokemon glows super bright.." He raised his arms over his head for emphasis. "..then it changes form. And bam! That's when everyone goes, 'wow that's awesome!' That's all there is to it basically." Ash felt proud of his explanation while the others didn't look so impressed.

"I don't get it at all," Bonnie admitted, shocking Ash in the process. Pikachu huffed in disbelief at his trainer. Clemont chuckled and adjusted his glasses.

"Ack! My eyes!" Meowth exclaimed, covering his eyes because of the random light reflecting off of Clemont's glasses. He was the only one who did so. This caused him to miss most of Clemont's speech, not that he cared anyways.

"...it needs a thunderstone." Meowth rubbed his eyes in annoyance.

"Pokemon sure are amazing. I guess I still have a lot to learn," Bonnie said truthfully. Ash smirked and lay back, arms crossed.

"Clemont was saying what I was saying in a different way," Ash declared humbly.

Bonnie smiled nervously. "You think?"

The light returned from Clemont's glasses when he chuckled, this time Meowth shielded his eyes. "Impressive, eh?" Clemont frowned. "There seems to be something in Spewpa's fur."

Confused, Officer Jenny got a closer look for herself. "Yeah, I wonder what it could be," The officer pondered. Chuckling again, Clemont pulled a magnifying glass from his grasp.

"Let's take a closer look." Clemont hovered the magnifying glass a few inches from Spewpa. Everyone looked on from his shoulder.

"Where'd you get that from!? I don't see any pockets in that sorry excuse of clothing you have on." Like before, Meowth was ignored.

"It looks like some sort of chip used for transmitting signals," Clemont explained, his knowledge in technology led to him recognizing its mechanical structure first.

Officer Jenny snapped her fingers in realization. "I know! Dolan must've implanted it as a tracking device. That way he could hunt any pokemon that might want to get away from him."

"Then he must be close by. I'll go get him," Ash said with determination. Spewpa walked up to Ash and started communicating with him. Unfortunately, Ash didn't understand. "What's wrong Spewpa."

"Spewpa says that Dolan is still out there with its friends," Meowth translated. "I think Spewpa must be worried sick about them."

Ash stared at the scatterdust pokemon. "You want to get your friends out of there, right?" Spewpa hopped on Ash's shoulder and he took the hint. "The question is how."

Silence swept through the air as everyone tried to come up with a plan. Serena was about to speak up until a certain grass type stopped her from doing so.

"Ivy! Ivysaur!" The seed pokemon looked frustrated due to him being ignored for most of the conversation.

"What is it Ivysaur?" Officer Jenny asked. Ivysaur annoyingly pointed at the video camera. "Is there something we should know that's in the footage?"

"Right. Seems like we forgot. Sorry Ivysaur," Ash apologised to Ivysaur who grumbled in response. "If you'll let me pick this up." Ash attempted to pick it up only to be shooed off by Meowth.

"Hey there twerp. This here is off limits in case you forgot," Meowth reminded the boy.

"Right." Ash rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"Lead the way then Ivysaur." Officer Jenny watched the seed pokemon scamper off to the stairs. Before they could go up, however.

"Swinub!" Officer Jenny cried out in disbelief. There, was the pig pokemon who was happily munching on the bowl full of pokemon food. He sat on the counter while Nurse Joy patted him on the head. "Good to see another one of Kuzuki's pokemon still safe."

Nurse Joy noticed them. "Swinub here looked hungry so I fetched a bowl of pokemon food for him. He's very happy with it," Nurse Joy commented on Swinub's large appetite. He finished his meal and burped softly. The nurse smiled and patted his stomach. "All full now, aren't you?"

"Nub! Nub!" The pig pokemon nodded. Officer Jenny walked over and gently picked up Swinub in her arms.

"Little guy is still as cute as the last time we saw each other." She turned to the rest. "We should go catch up to Ivysaur." With that, the group traveled up the stairs with Nurse Joy wishing them luck at whatever they were doing.

 _ **At Bradshaw's secret base...**_

"You two will make perfect hostages. Let's see what your 'leader' has to offer for your release." Bradshaw tied the two Team Rocket members wrists and set them on the floor. His plan was working out perfectly. He nabbed himself a few new pokemon which includes Malamar, which is said to hold a lot of power. He also has a chance to get some money off the two bags of dirt in exchange for their freedom. Their leader was bound to be rich, only problem being if he'll care about them or not. Last but not least was the boy in the other room.

"Hehe, I'll always have the last laugh. No matter how long it takes no one messes with Bradshaw. Especially not some bratty kid!" He gritted his teeth but soon grinned evilly, all in due time.

"What are you doing with the kid?" Jessie asked the man. Bradshaw let out a raspy laugh.

"That's none of your concern. For right now, just worry if your so-called boss will find it in his heart to bail you two out." Bradshaw's words left an ominous atmosphere in the room.

James let out a shout. "Where's my Malamar!?" He demanded.

Bradshaw whistled innocently. "Oh I don't know. Perhaps it's being trained to be a new addition to my crew. Only the great and powerful pokemon get that privilege. The rest get to say sayonara to their meaninglessness life and be sold off to some witty buyer who'll treat them like dirt."

"Bradshaw, sir!" One of his men called out.

"Yes, what is it?"

"The kid is ready, sir!" He reported with a salute.

"Good. You're dismissed." The man did a bow and left the room. Bradshaw turned to Jessie and James and gave them an arrogant smirk.

"Don't worry, Diggersby will keep you two company for the time being. He'll make sure you two don't do anything stupid." Bradshaw exited the room and Diggersby took his position.

Meanwhile, Kuzuki struggled to get up as he soon found himself tied to a chair. One of the people there informed him that Bradshaw will be coming shortly. Kuzuki scanned the room, it looked the same as it's been since he was last here. Before he could come up with a plan to escape he heard footsteps approaching him.

"Mr. Sakai," Bradshaw sneered. He towered over him menacingly. All Kuzuk could do was glare at the man. "Aww, and here I thought that you missed me. Don't you worry that thick head of yours. I'm sure this next pokemon will catch your attention. Men! Bring out the secret weapon!" Bradshaw ordered his crew.

"Yes sir!" They said in unison.

Bradshaw's sinister smile made chills go up Kuzuki's spine. "I'm sure you remember our other friend." A loud roar proceeded, one that Kuzuki recognized too well. A large feline like creature jumped high into the room and landed in front of the boy.

It's brown fur and long tail was noticeable in the semi-dark room. Most notably was its large fiery mane that consisted of a yellow and red color. Its turquoise eyes eyes him like a hawk. It snarled, revealing its sharp teeth. So much for it forgetting who Kuzuki is. Now he has to face its wrath once more.

"Pyroar…"

 _ **Back at the Pokémon Center...**_

"So how does this work?" Officer Jenny asked. They have gotten permission to enter the studio and Ivysaur set the video camera on one of the tables. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to notice that it was a Pokévision studio. Aside from that, Ivysaur hopped on the table and examined the computer.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur found what he was looking for and plugged the video camera in the computer. Luckily, Ivysaur remembered how Kuzuki interacted with all the equipment. Maybe all that time watching him work on Pokévision was worth it.

"I believe I know how it works from here," Clemont declared. No one argued and let him work his magic. "Alright, so if I go here...then here...then this should be right here. Yep, I found it!"

The computer screen revealed a play button on the center with what looked like Kuzuki's face at the background. Ivysaur's eyes widened and he nodded, the scene was all too familiar to him. Clemont pressed play and they all awaited to see what was on the video.

 _The sound of an engine was clear and the video kept shaking left and right. The video camera appeared to be held outside the window._

 _"Wowzers. This sure will go great with my scrapbook collection…." He said in an awkward tone. "Nothing to panic about, just a boy taping the wonders of traveling."_

 _"Ivy?" Ivysaur whispered to his trainer._

 _"Just go along with it." Kuzuki rubbed the seed pokemon's head and focused his video camera back to the outside scenery. The sound of Kuzuki sighing was heard. "Ugh, nothing is happening."_

The video turned staticy and it buzzed off. Clemont was ready to find another video until the video came back on.

 _"With the magic of editing it'll now be three hours later." The scenery was more brighter, most likely it was dawn. Though, they were still moving. "I still don't know where we're going but we passed a town. I didn't recognize it so it's not much help."_

 _"Ivysaur." The seed pokemon grabbed his attention._

 _"What's that Ivysaur? You want another speech on manners? Well since you're asking." Ivysaur groaned. "The first rule to proper etiquette behavior is to know your utensils. The big spoon is called the-wait woah, is that a palace!?" The huge castle was too far off the distance so the video was zoomed in._

"Hmm." Officer Jenny hummed, taking a mental image of the palace in her head.

 _"Man, Siri sure would love this. I wonder what she's up to now and days. Where did she say she lived again…I know it's a town somewhere here in Kalos..." His voice trailed off._

 _"Hey! What do you think you're doing boy?" A deep rough voice demanded._

 _"Uh...scrapbooking?" Kuzuki answered nervously. The video turned to Kuzuki's left, revealing the man that Officer Jenny was after._

 _"You can't scrapbook videos. Turn that damn thing off right now, we're almost there."_

 _"Yes Mr. Bradshaw sir." Kuzuki flanked his video camera to the direction of the castle one last time before the video went blank._

"I didn't know there were any palaces here in Kalos." Ash was the first one to talk. "Wherever that palace is is where Kuzuki should be."

Officer Jenny shared her thoughts too. "I've been to most places in Kalos, the only one to ring a bell in my head is the palace near Camphrier Town." She frowned. "It's home to the current family heirloom, Princess Allie. I've only been there twice. The first time she wanted me to find her 'precious' Furfrou. That little bugger bit my hand. The second visit involved me having a wild goose chase to find her crown which ended up being under her bed the whole time. Let's just say, whatever Princess Allie wants, she gets."

"That'll be nice to keep in mind for future references." Clemont made a mental note on that.

"We now know the general area where Kuzuki is," Officer Jenny said. "But Dolan's still out on the loose. We can't leave him to do whatever he pleases. We must find some way to catch him red-handed. We can get him to cough up more information as well. The question is how."

Serena's eyes lit up. "I have a great idea. First, we'll let Dolan take Spewpa back, and then track him with his transmitter signal! That way he'll lead us to his hideout and all the pokemon too!" Everyone liked her plan.

"That's a great idea," Officer Jenny complimented. "But do you believe we can pull it off?"

Serena smiled. "It just so happens that we have an inventor with us."

Clemont took that as his queue. "Sounds like my queue to get busy!" Clemont declared as he got out of his seat and ran off. They could hear Clemont chuckle. "The future is now thanks to science! Clemontic gear activate!" His glasses shone once more. "I happen to have the perfect invention for a situation such as this. I present, the Omnidirectional Super Sensitive Tracking Dish!"

Ash marveled at the sight of the invention. Bonnie couldn't help but to sigh at her brother. "At least the name sounds better."

Clemont showed his invention to everyone and placed the tracking chip inside the invention. "All we need to do is detect and memorize the frequency of the transmitter chip. We can then pinpoint Spewpa's location no matter where it goes," Clemont informed his peers.

Meowth tapped on the invention. "Interesting. Just what else can you invent, you egghead," Meowth asked.

"Egghead!?" Clemont gasped.

"Oh, so do you prefer to be called nerd?"

"No!"

"What about four eyes?"

"Umm…"

"I know! How about-"

"Let the boy finish his explanation." Officer Jenny rolled her eyes at Meowth's words. Meowth glared at the officer, upset that she interrupted his fun.

"R-right," Clemont stuttered. "Power on." His invention showed Spewpa's location. "We're up and running now," Clemont said proudly, his embarrassment fading.

"Wow! Science sure is amazing!" Ash shouted excitingly. Clemont smiled, happy that his inventions continue to astonish Ash.

Bonnie looked concerned. "But Dolan trapped Scatterbug, right? Remember, Scatterbug evolved into Spewpa since then."

"Don't fret. It's no problem." Officer Jenny comforted the girl. "Once he sees the chip on Spewpa, it won't take long for him to figure out what happened."

Serena stared at Spewpa sadly. "I don't feel comfortable about all of this. Maybe we shouldn't use Spewpa as bait, there's a chance we might slip up and Dolan will have Spewpa again."

To her relief, Ash came up with a solution. "I guess I'll be the decoy!" Ash exclaimed.

"If anyone can pull it off it's you," Clemont replied.

"Hold on a minute." Serena pulled out her bag. "I thought of this so I want to help! Costume design is my specialty after all."

 _ **One costume designing montage later...**_

"Spew...spew...spewpa!" Ash mimicked a Spewpa impression. He was dressed in a Spewpa costume that Serena made for him. Though, there was one problem with it, a big one to be exact.

Officer Jenny was the one who broke the ice. "You definitely look like Spewpa, but you're a bit too big," Officer Jenny told Ash, who slouches his shoulders in response.

"Plus, you won't be able to fit in the cage we found Scatterbug in," Clemont pointed out. Serena frowned for a hot second before smiling again.

"I know! Let's have Dedenne do it," Serena resounded. Bonnie lifted Dedenne in the air happily. Meowth stood there with a thoughtful expression on his face. His mind reflected on the Sunflora costume that he'd wear on certain circumstances. He pulled it off sneakily before, he could do it again in a different costume.

 _ **Another costume designing montage later...**_

Dedenne, who was in his Spewpa costume, let out a happy cry thinking it was perfect. That was until Dedenne fell over and face planted on the floor.

Officer Jenny crouched down to meet Dedenne's height level. "You're just the tiniest to teeny for the role." Dedenne groaned in disappointment.

"How about-" Clemont started.

"You know, since you're all out of ideas, I guess I'll just have to do it." Meowth faked sighed.

"Or my Chespin can-"

"Hey, I said I'll do it already! No need to complain some more.

 _ **One last costume designing montage later...**_

"I'd say you're just the right fit," Officer Jenny said, examining the costume on Meowth. "An inch or two too big but I think it'll work just fine. Dolan would think you're even rarer like that."

"As if there was any doubt," Meowth boasted, patting himself on his back for his genius mind.

"Alright, now get in the cage," Officer Jenny told the talking pokemon. Meowth's eyes widened as he stared at the cage.

"Drats! I forgot about that part," Meowth whispered to himself. He fell on his stomach and groaned. "Oh, it seems like I have a tummy ache. No way I can pull this off now," Meowth moaned. Officer Jenny glared at Meowth and picked him up.

"You're getting into that cage. We aren't wasting any more time." Due to the costume not having any armholes, Meowth was forced to let himself be put inside the cage. The cage door shut with Meowth grunting in frustration.

 _ **Afterwards...**_

Ash and his friends hid behind a bush while Officer Jenny and her Manectric hid behind a tree with her motorcycle. They were currently back at the place where they found Scatterbug's cage. Swinub rested on the back of Manectric after his delightful meal. Meowth was put inside the cage and left outside the open field for Dolan to see him as a Spewpa. The cage door was open so Dolan could see it better.

"Now all we have to do is wait," Officer Jenny reminded the four.

Clemont was still a little unconvinced with the plan. "If he doesn't show up then our whole plan will be ruined," Clemont acknowledged the possible outcomes.

Officer Jenny shook her head. "Dolan is a greedy man! He'll definitely come back or he won't be able to make any money. No pokemon means no sale. Once he makes his pick up then we'll follow him."

"Then we can track him down to his hideout," Ash added in. Just then, the sound of wheels spinning caught their attention.

Meowth watched as a burly man in his jeep approached closer to him. Meowth stopped practicing his Spewpa impression and readied into position. Dolan got out of his vehicle and walked up to the cage. He took a peek inside it to see the disguised Spewpa.

"There's my precious valuable merchandise. All safe and sound, Bradshaw sure will be pleased." He squinted his eyes. "So you evolved into Spewpa, eh? You sure do sound like one but you look a bit off." Dolan shrugged. "Whatever, that just means more money for me with your larger appearance."

"Spewpa!" Meowth imitated. Dolan picked up the cage and looked at him right in the eye. Everyone hiding thought that he'll figure out the disguise. "Maybe you'll evolve into a great and powerful Vivillon." He laughed and walked back to his jeep.

"Dolan bought the disguise," Officer Jenny said. Serena merely nodded, proud that her skills came in handy. Clemont and the rest got out of their hiding spots as soon as they saw Dolan drive away. Clemont pulled out his invention and it revealed where Dolan was heading off to.

"My invention is working perfectly. We got to move," Clemont announced. Ash and his friends continued running while Officer Jenny rode on her motorcycle. Swinub relaxed himself right on top of Manectric's back. They soon approached a forest. "Dolan just drove into the forest."

"We can't lose him," Officer Jenny reminded the boy.

"Don't worry," Clemont reassured the officer. "As long as the chip is sending a signal-wah!" Clemont gasped as his invention started shaking. "What happened?!" The gadget began sparking electricity. It soon blew up, leaving everyone but Officer Jenny caught in its explosion.

"Alright." Officer Jenny started driving to the direction where Dolan last was. "Thanks for all your help. As soon as I'm done catching this crook I'll do everything I can to find Kuzuki. You all will be the first to know!" Officer Jenny drove full speed. Using her previous knowledge on past smuggler hideouts, she figured out the path as to where Dolan's lair is. Using a trail going up a mountain, the officer arrived in a few short minutes. Swinub stayed in the motorcycle while Officer Jenny and her Manectric got out.

"Manectric, go scout the area for any threats." Manectric nodded and ventured off on his own. Officer Jenny observed the hideout. It wasn't as large as the previous hideouts that she busted before, but big enough to run his smuggling business. Walking past a stray tree, Officer Jenny heard a faint sound coming from below. Due to her extensive police force training she swiftly got out of the way.

"What the!?" She cried out watching a net pop out from below. It caught nothing and flung on a branch from the tree above. Her Manectric quickly ran back to her side and got into battle stance.

"Well look who it is." A voice spoke from behind her. Turning in a blink of an eye, Officer Jenny eyed the infamous pokemon smuggler. "Why if it isn't Officer Jenny. I thought I already lost you earlier. It appears that you're as stubborn as a mule when it comes to catching brilliant masterminds such as myself." He tossed the cage to the ground with an unconscious Meowth inside. "Thought your little plan would work on me? Since the ride to get here was bumpy, the disguise came apart quickly."

"So you're saying you wouldn't have noticed if you were driving safely.." Officer Jenny scoffed. "Who am I kidding. No way a moron like you would drive with common sense." Her insults made Dolan angry.

"Piss off Jenny. We don't even need another pathetic Meowth anyways. We have plenty back at the compound." He smirked cockily. Officer Jenny was relieved that Dolan didn't find out that Meowth could talk. "Not that you need to know. In case you don't know we have that idiot boy with us. Brat is going to get what he deserves. He'll be even more scarred then he was before. And there's is nothing you can do about it," He taunted arrogantly.

Officer Jenny glared at the man hatefully. "I do happen to know where your pitiful compound is. Near Camphrier Town I presume." She didn't hold back her smirk when Dolan's eyes widened in surprise. "And you all will no hurt the boy any more then you already have. You'll also not get away with all those Spewpas that you keep in there."

"If there's one thing that won't happen today is all my merchandise going to waste by your weak attempt to save them," Dolan replied back to the officer.

"Are you sure about that? I don't see any pokemon with you. You're defenseless without them," Officer Jenny remarked only to earn a chuckle from the pokemon smuggler.

"Is that so? I may not have any pokemon on me but I do still have the upper advantage on you."

"What do you mean?" Officer Jenny asked.

"That boy surely did have his purposes." Dolan fished a small round object from his pockets.

 _ **Dolan uses Smoke Bomb!**_

 _ **He missed!**_

"Ah! Bloody hell!" Dolan shrieked, rubbing his eyes furiously so regain his vision. Officer Jenny stood there bemused, she remembered Kuzuki having the same result back in Santalune City.

"You were saying?"

"Shut the hell up Jenny!" Dolan shouted, regaining his vision. "Now prepare for the real deal!" Dolan declared. He took out what appeared to be a gun. "Introducing my handy dandy seed shooter! Made with the seeds by various pokemon! Let me demonstrate how it works." Dolan cackled, taking his first shot in the process.

"Manectric, use Thunder Wave!" Officer Jenny commanded. Manectric released a spiral of electricity towards the seed. To both their surprise, the seed looped around the attack and hit Manectric! The discharge pokemon flinched but nothing happened.

"Wha!?" Dolan stomped the ground in anger. "Do any of this kid's gadgets work!?" A second later the seed exploded. Manectric was caught off guard and suffered the explosion damage. The electric type grunted but still continued.

"Yeah!" Dolan pumped his fist in the air. "Take this!" Another seed flew to the direction of Manectric. This time with different results. It fell on the ground midway. "Damn it!"

"Hmmph. We won't let you win. Use Wild Charge!" Manectric surrounded himself with electricity and bolted to Dolan. Dolan tossed the seed shooter to the side and grabbed another gadget.

"Heave ho!" He shot the gadget to the top of his warehouse. It was a grappling hook! Dolan was carried to the top and now has a high ground advantage. "Let's have some fun. Bahaha!" The pokemon smuggler, now with a flamethrower in his grasp, began spreading flames at the ground. "What a delightful scene for a smuggler!"

"Fall back Manectric!" Officer Jenny and her Manectric took cover behind a pile of pipes.

"Why must you hide? Let's settle this like civilized people." The man hopped down and started searching for the officer. "I promise I won't hurt you. But this will."

Officer Jenny noticed three small round metal objects roll to her side. By the sound of ticking she knew exactly what it was.

"Run!" Officer Jenny and Manectric ran far away from the area as it blew up. "You're destroying your own hideout! Why!?"

"Because." Dolan went after her. "When I take care of you there won't be anyone else in our way. No one will be as persistent to finding us like you do." Dolan tossed a ball size object towards them that increased tremendously when it nearly reached the ground.

"We got to throw his guard off somehow," Officer Jenny said to herself. Unfortunately, Ash and his friends showed up at the worst possible moment.

"Hmm?" Dolan heard their footsteps and faced the four kids. "More kids, eh? And their pokemon!" Dolan redirected his attention to the group and back away from the officer.

"Dolan!"

"That's my name alright! It seems to me that you meddling kids won't mind your own business." Dolan's eyes spotted the real Spewpa on Ash's shoulder. "So that's where my merchandise went. No matter, hand it over to me right now," Dolan demanded.

Ash shook his head. "No way I'm letting you have Spewpa!" Ash countered back.

"Then it looks like I have no other choice." Dolan snapped his fingers. Somehow, the snap triggered a trap. Ash and his friends found themselves trapped in a net. "Traps everywhere. I mean come on, you don't expect me to not be prepared for this type of situation! Give me a break. Let me rephrase that. Give me that Spewpa."

"Spew!" Much to Spewpa's misfortune, it wasn't caught in Dolan's trap. The pokemon smuggler stomped his way to the scatterdust pokemon, rubbing his hands together. The cries of those in the net were audible.

"Not so fast! Manectric, Wild Charge once more!" Manectric did as it was told and charged at the pokemon smuggler. Realising he was too late, Dolan prepared for the attack to come.

It didn't.

"Ha!" Dolan laughed, watching Manectric get tied up by a vine coming from the ground. "So it was a leech seed! Brilliant! Now no one will stop me. Not even you Jenny!" Dolan eyed Spewpa with greed. It grabbed Spewpa in his arms and let out a triumph cry.

"Nub nub!"

"Huh?" Dolan turned around only to be met with a Mud Shot to the face. "Ack! My eyes!" Already hurting his vision earlier, the pokemon smuggler dropped Spewpa and fell to his knees.

"I got you now!" Officer Jenny wrapped her rope around Dolan. With an amazing feat of strength, the officer hurled the man directly to her and delivered an uppercut to the jaw. Dolan was out cold in an instance.

"Don't mess with an officer." She dropped his unconscious body to the ground. "Oh, and you're under arrest." Officer Jenny smiled at the chorus of cheers coming from the net trap.

"Swinub! Nub! Nub!" Swinub hopped up and down the ground. The pig pokemon was extremely overwhelmed with happiness because of his much needed assistance.

"Of course I wouldn't have done it without your help Swinub." Officer Jenny looked at the trapped people and pokemon. "Mind helping me out some more?"

 _ **Later...**_

"The police force should arrive in a few minutes," Officer Jenny said to the four. Dolan was placed in the net so he wouldn't escape. His gadgets were confiscated by the officer for extra insurance. All the Spewpas were surround next to each other outside.

"What's going to happen now?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"Well," Officer Jenny started. "Dolan will be put behind bars. These Spewpas will be free again. That leaves only one more thing to do," Officer Jenny replied as she got in her motorcycle with her Manectric.

"Right. Kuzuki's still out there," Clemont acknowledged dejected.

"Can we come help you?" Ash pleaded to the officer.

Officer Jenny shook her head. "I'm afraid not. It's a long distance to get to Camphrier Town and I need to arrive as soon as possible. There isn't any room for you guys anyhow. It'll be too slow to go by foot," Officer Jenny informed the four. Ash nodded understandably.

"I get it," Ash sighed. "It won't feel right traveling knowing that Kuzuki is still missing."

"We were suppose to all travel together. He promised!" Bonnie added.

"I think you can make an exception to this. Kuzuki's not here by force. Don't worry, I'll get him back and you can all travel together again. I promise." Officer Jenny felt Bonnie hug her.

"Please do," Bonnie muttered before heading back to her brother's side.

"Until next time." Officer Jenny stopped. "You two can come along. I'm sure Kuzuki will want you guys to be there." She told the seed and pig pokemon. Ivysaur and Swinub nodded and got in the sidecar with Manectric. The discharge pokemon made room for Ivysaur while Swinub resumed his previous position on top of Manectric's back.

Officer Jenny runned the engine. "Oh and one last thing." Her eyes met Serena's. "Nice bracelet." She winked at the girl and then drove off with the four pokemon.

Bonnie tugged Clemont's jumpsuit. "See, I told you I didn't lose Kuzuki's girly bracelet."

Serena could feel all eyes on her. "What're you doing with Kuzuki's stuff?" Ash asked her.

To her delight, the sound of sirens came from the entrance and a squad of officer spread throughout the area. They took Dolan away and asked a few questions to the four.

"Look guys!" Bonnie pointed out. The Spewpa that was with them began running in circles again.

"That means it's evolving!" Clemont said excitingly. One by one did the Spewpas started to glow and came out as beautiful Vivillons. The four plus the officers gaped at the wonderful sight.

Serena watched with marvel at the Vivillons beauty. They gracefully started flying away up the sky with everyone bidding them farewell. Serena waved goodbye to them. Her focus went to the bracelet on her wrist. Ash's question popped in her mind. Why did she have it?

"Well...it's because it's special," She answered to no one in particular.

 _ **Somewhere else...**_

"Pyroar dearly missed your cowardly behavior. He's the cat and you're the mouse." He paced to the royal pokemon. "Such a majestic creature. You know boy, he hasn't had many playmates since you left. The ones who were...let's just say they didn't make it past the first week."

"How did you find me?" Kuzuki asked.

Bradshaw chuckled darkly. "A man does have his secrets."

"So you've been stalking me?" All Bradshaw did was smile deviously.

"Enough talk. We're going to pick off were we last left off. No one is going to find you this time. Not even that damn Jenny." Bradshaw flicked his head. "I'll leave you two to it then." Bradshaw left to go back to the room with the two Team Rocket members.

Pyroar and Kuzuki had a stare-off. "Nice kitty kitty. You don't want to hurt me, do you?" Kuzuki said in desperation. Pyroar released a small spark of fire at Kuzuki's shoulder. This caused the boy to flinch.

Kuzuki sighed. "This'll be the worst few days of my life in a while."

 _ **Author's Note: Chapter seven is finally done. I've been out for the better part of this month and I could make up some excuse for not posting any new chapters during that time, but I won't. I was lazy, that's it. Back to the story, Ash will still continue his journey and by the time he shows up in another chapter a couple of episodes will already have been pass. I noticed the lack of Pikachu in my chapters and I feel like he should only be acknowledged when something big happens. You all already know he is there anyways. The following chapter will focus on Officer Jenny, Kuzuki and Bradshaw. This'll most likely conclude the Pokémon Smuggler mini arc for now. Either in chapter eight or nine. Stay tuned for Chapter Eight**_ : _**Bradshaw's Mad World!**_


	8. Bradshaw's Mad World

_Chapter 8: Bradshaw's Mad World_

Bradshaw couldn't hold back his snickers. He had done it. Finally, after so long he had actually done it. He captured Kuzuki Sakai. After two miserable set backs resulting in their merchandise being freed, they could now have their revenge. More so Bradshaw, everyone else was just happy that their boss was no longer moody. The boy had really taken a toll to Bradshaw's pride.

Several days have passed and no one has come to find him. It was safe to say that he won't escape his grasp again. With all the stress gone, the fellow smugglers noticed their boss revert back to his normal behavior. Though, normal wasn't really a way to describe it.

"Heh heh, hell yeah! We've finally got the wretched boy!" Bradshaw celebrated with all of his comrades. He rallied them up in the room next to Kuzuki and Pyroar. This also happened to be the room where the two Team Rocket members were held.

"What about them boss?" One of the men asked.

Bradshaw scoffed. "Those two pathetic losers will be dealt with soon. Their so called 'boss' hasn't responded to any of my threats. It is to be expected when facing the almighty Bradshaw," He sneered. Bradshaw walked up to the two with a mad grin.

"Let us go already! We haven't done anything bad to you!" James pleaded. They've been stuck in the same room far too long for his liking. They weren't properly fed and hydrated, only receiving these necessities on rare occasions. It also didn't help that the screams of pain filled their hearing every couple of hours.

"That's not going to happen little birds." Bradshaw placed his finger on James' chin so he'd make direct eye contact with him. "You see, your 'boss' has only one day left to hand over my demands. But he hasn't been cooperating." He started laughing. "Hell! He hasn't even shed an ounce of care. I've sent him at least five messages about you two hostages. Not a single response."

James glared at Bradshaw. "What're you going to do with us after a day has passed?"

Bradshaw grinned, grabbing the collar of James damaged shirt, he whispered in his ear. "Oh I wouldn't want to spoil the fun, but since I'm in a good mood I'll give you a hint." James could practically feel Bradshaw's mouth beside his ear. "You'll be moved to the room over there, with the boy. I'm sure Pyroar will enjoy his new playmates. Although, you two won't share the same treatment like the boy."

"Huh?" James dared to ask. He was met with Bradshaw's crazed eyes. It sent shivers down his spine. Jessie was a good distance apart from James. She did her best to hear the conversation but they were too quiet for her hearing.

"I'm sure you heard the boy's screams. Bastard's been keeping most of my men awake. You'll be with the boy alright. Though, I don't expect to hear from you guys again after day one in there." James' horrified face was all Bradshaw needed to burst out into laughter. His men mimicked his action and the whole room was filled with boisterous laughter.

Bradshaw, still clutching James' shirt, pulled him in closer and connected his fist straight to his jaw. An onslaught of punches followed, all the while with Bradshaw continuing his maniacal laughing. His men stopped their own laughter.

"Leave James alone!" Jessie shrieked. Her desperate pleas were ignored by the ringleader.

"Hahaha! Don't you get it idiot." He punched James' nose. "You." A punch to the left eye. "Will." A punch to the right eye. "Never." Another punch. "Leave." And another. "Here." One more. "Alive!" A final punch to the jaw knocked James out cold. Bradshaw grinned and spit on his face before letting go.

"Bahaha! It feels good to be back!" Bradshaw exclaimed. He noticed Jessie's fearful eyes. Bradshaw smirked and proceeded his way to her. "What's the matter eh? Don't tell me you want a knuckle sandwich too." Jessie frantically shook her head. Bradshaw's fist came towards her face and Jessie braced herself, only for the attack not to come. His fist was inches from her face.

"Gotcha!" Bradshaw laughed before landing a right hook to her jaw, knocking her out in an instant. The man left the room soon after. The men still in the room sparked a conversation.

"Wow, boss sure does have a lot of fight in him," One of them started.

"I don't know whether to be proud of his merciless attitude or afraid," Another replied.

"I for one think that it's a bit too much." All of them stared at the guy confused. "Don't get me wrong, I love having a boss that's willing to do anything to get his way but it's a bit too extreme for my tastes." They still continued to stare. Just then, the sounds of roaring and a boy screaming came from the other room. "See, this is what I mean. Torturing a little kid, ain't that going too far?" None of them said anything. "You know what, forget what I just said. Someone go make sure Pyroar doesn't kill him." More stares. "Ugh! Fine, I'll go," The man grumbled.

"I think he's going soft," One of the men whispered as the guy went in the other room.

 ** _Somewhere else..._**

Six days have passed. Officer Jenny cursed herself for taking so long. But an officer also has duties to fulfil. Having been sidetracked numerous times due to receiving calls from civilians that were in need of help. She secretly wished she would have ignored them but as an officer it was her sworn duty to help all those in need. She was the only officer in the area, therefore she was chosen to help out.

Kuzuki's pokemon expressed their concern everytime they were sidetracked. It was expected since they were worried about their trainer whilst Meowth with his "pals." Right now they were approaching Camphrier Town.

"...so then I built this really huge robot that I made to look like myself. I called it Mega-Mega Meowth. Personally I believed it was my greatest contraption yet. Unfortunately, the main power source came in the form of an electrical plug and some twerp unplugged it. Soon after, we were blasted off to the sky!" Meowth finished his story to the officer. The talking pokemon usually shared a few tales to pass time during the time used heading to Camphrier Town.

"Wait, let me get this straight. You tried to attack innocent children with that mega robot thing?" Officer Jenny inquired.

"Uh...no-well not so much attacking," Meowth stuttered. "I meant it as playing. Yeah that's it. It's big and safe enough to climb. Kids like climbing huge obstacles, right? Hehe." Meowth laughed nervously.

"Riiight." Officer Jenny stretched out the word with sarcasm. Manectric and Ivysaur rolled their eyes at Meowth. Swinub was still sleeping snugly on Manectric's back.

"Yeah. So...um when do we get to this palace?" Meowth asked, changing the topic.

"It's called Parfum Palace and we're almost there. The place we're going to is near the palace. Camphrier Town is close too. I'm going to do a quick check in with the town and see how they are doing. Then we'll go find our missing friends." Meowth and Ivysaur smiled at this. It took a while but now they were finally close to finding Kuzuki and Team Rocket.

"Good!" Meowth exclaimed. He then cleared his throat. "I'm sure after one more of my awe inspiring tales we'll be at Camphrier Town. How about it?" Meowth offered with a grin.

Officer Jenny hesitated. "I don't know."

"I'll have you know this is too good to pass up." Meowth furrowed his brows when Officer Jenny looked like she was going to decline. "I'll give you more insight to it. It's one of my personal experiences during my time in Kanto. Kuzuki is in it too!" Meowth added.

"Well alright." Officer Jenny gave in. Meowth puffed out his chest in pride, his master persuasion skills never failed him.

"Alright." Everyone minus Swinub, listened on. "So it all began on one sunny day in Kanto. It happened to be a very special day too…

 ** _Back during Kanto..._**

Team Rocket stealthy followed the four trainers on the path with one goal in mind. To catch Pikachu! Seeing them stop in front of a building, Team Rocket hid in a bushy area with a few trees. Meowth examined his surroundings. There were banners of three pokemon. These three were Goldeen, Gyarados, and Magikarp.

"Hurry and put on this disguise Meowth," Jessie ordered. She handed him a headband with a patch of grass on it. Meowth put it on while Jessie and James covered themselves with a brown tarp. They listened on to the four trainers conversation.

"Oh! There's a Magikarp. And a Goldeen. And a Gyarados," An orange haired girl said.

"You're right Misty. They look really cool," A boy with a crimson beanie replied back.

"They don't just look really cool Kuzuki." A raven haired kid grinned at his friend, Kuzuki. "They look really _really_ cool!" He exclaimed.

Kuzuki rolled his eyes. "Only you Ash. Right Bulbasaur?"

"Saur!" Kuzuki snickered at his partner's agreement. Ash rubbed the back of his neck, smiling cheekily. Pikachu slyly patted Bulbasaur's back when Ash wasn't looking and hopped back up his trainer's shoulder. The two pokemon laughed.

"What about you Brock. What do you think?" Kuzuki asked the taller boy with a green vest on.

Brock chuckled. "I think both of you are wrong. These banners are really really _really_ cool!" The three burst into laughter.

Misty continued to stare at the banners with wonderment in her eyes. "What would be really cool is if we could just play all day like we used to on Kids Day." Ash and Brock quickly turned to Misty in a state of annoyance. Before they could say anything, however, Kuzuki spoke.

"I wish. My dad didn't let me in on all the activities on Kids Day." Everyone gasped. "The school I went to didn't have school off. One of the _'perks'_ of going to a private school. After school was the Kids Day activities and everyone at school went. Not me. Nope, I got to go straight home and do my homework. Then do my chores. I didn't even get to eat anything special for dinner. I got the pleasure of eating a sandwich with one single slice of turkey on it," Kuzuki explained, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I can relate to such a horrible Kids Day," Meowth heard Jessie say. She was hushed by James.

"Kuzuki... oh now I feel bad!" Misty grabbed his hand. "Here we are talking about how cool our Kids Day memories were and you didn't even get a second of it," She said with sympathy for her friend.

"I guess. I only got to hear about all the wonderful things kids do on Kids Day from my classmates. But you know." Kuzuki placed his other hand on top of Misty's. "I think a kiss will make me feel all better," He replied with an innocent smile.

 _Kuzuki used **Puppy Dog Eyes!**_

 _It's not very effective!_

 _Misty used **Slap!**_

 _It's super effective and a critical hit!_

 _Kuzuki fainted!_

 _Misty gained four hundred and sixty seven experience points!_

 _Misty is now a level 64!_

"Ugh! As if Kuzuki! Don't you dare ask me such a stupid thing again!" Misty yelled at the boy who was sprawled out on the ground. He had a goofy smile on his face.

"Totally worth it…" Kuzuki muttered, seeing the light blush on Misty's face. At least, that's what his hazy vision saw. Bulbasaur sighed and went to help his trainer.

Ash narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Misty, don't hurt Kuzuki like that. It's not very nice. I'm sure he was just joking. Plus, you know we can't just take the whole day off to play around while I still have the Volcano Badge to win." Brock was on Ash's side.

"And anyway, you've already had your princess festival. Kids Day should be a boys holiday only! For men!" Brock declared.

"Real men!" Ash added.

"Hey! Wild fantasies are our thing!" James said angrily before it was Jessie's turn to shut him up. Meowth ignored their scuffle and watched on, wanting to come up with new ways to capture Pikachu.

"For real tough men!" Brock shouted. Misty fumed, grabbing her fan, she closed it and glared at them with hatred. She hit Ash, Brock, and Pikachu with her 'weapon!'

They all moaned in pain. "I'm just as tough as you two! Now are we going to play or are we going to play!?" She demanded the two.

"Play…" They both croaked out. Misty looked like she was about to strike them again until she felt someone grab her hand with her fan.

"Please Misty." Kuzuki stared directly into Misty's eyes. "I think they had enough pain for today. I know I did." Misty seemed to relax and was about to say something until they heard an unfamiliar voice calling for their attention.

"We've been expecting you pokemon trainers," A female voice said. They turned to see a woman in a yellow dress and a pink apron. She had shoulder length brown hair. "Please come in. All the children are waiting for you in the playground."

Brock quickly stood up and grabbed the young woman's hands. "We're terribly sorry for keeping you waiting. Please forgive me. My name is Brock," He greeted charmingly.

The woman appeared uneasy at Brock's forwardness. "Brock... uh hello."

"It's a pleasure to meet an educator as... as enchanting as you are." Brock chuckled softly. The sound of beeping was heard and Brock let go of the woman's hands. She dug through her apron and pulled out a phone.

"Hello! Little Kiddo Preschool…"

"Hmm? What's this?" James asked himself, now interested in the interaction.

"We'll have to wait and see," Meowth chimed in.

Misty let out a squeak with she felt the comfortable warmness from her other hand wash away. She turned around and saw Kuzuki listening on to what the woman was saying with both of his arms crossed. Misty frowned and used her now free hand to wrap her Togepi around her body. She rapidly shook her head and muttered something under her breath.

"...let the children play with their pokemon. The children are so excited to play with the pokemon. Now they're going to be so disappointed."

"We're pokemon trainers," Ash commented.

"You are? Oh, but you four don't have time to let the children play with your pokemon." Brock, seeing a female in need of help, quickly resolved her problem.

Brock once again grabbed her hands. "Yes we do! We have all the time in the world. We have tons of time! The kids can play with all of _our_ pokemon. Those other trainers must be heartless! You can count on us miss. Heh, right Ash?" Brock gazed at Ash with pleading eyes.

"Right. No problem!" Ash assured the woman.

Meowth watched from behind the bush as the five entered the area. Team Rocket took off their disguise and took another quick peek to make sure that they were gone.

"Meowth's got a feeling that Kids Day is going to be our lucky day," He remarked with his plans going straight to work in his mind. James watched the banners with a content smile.

"Kids Day. That used to be the day I waited for all year long. They used to give us the day off of school and I'd swim in our olympic swimming pool. Then I'd eat nothing but ice cream sandwiches," James recalled his childhood memories.

Jessie stared at him with envy. "You had off from school, a swimming pool, and ate ice cream sandwiches?" She asked in bewilderment and jealousy.

James placed his hands on his hips and looked at her as if she grew another head. "Of course I did. Didn't everybody?"

Jessie gaped at him. She placed her hand on the nearby tree and stared at the ground, dejected. "I never had the day off from school... or a swimming pool in the backyard. The only sandwiches I ever got was baloney with one measly slice!" She growled in fury.

James burst into tears. "That's so sad!" James wailed. Meowth nodded his head. All of it made sense now.

"A pathetic childhood can create a pathetic person." Meowth regretted saying these words as he found himself on the receiving end of Jessie's boot.

"You shut your meowth up," She hissed. Meowth picked himself up after she lifted her boot off his face. "Now then, those twerps are inside the preschool. Being distracted by all those little brats means that we can take Pikachu unnoticed," Jessie pointed out.

"You're right! They should rename Kids Day... hmm oh I know!" He paused. "Pikaswipe day!" He presented his idea out loud, expecting positive feedback. To his misfortune, he didn't.

"What're you even talking about you idiot." Jessie smacked the back of James' head. "No more stupid names. What we need is a devious plan to get that Pikachu."

Meowth had a lightbulb over his head. "I know! What do kids like the most, you ask?"

"Ice cream sandwiches?" James replied.

"Baloney?" Jessie muttered

Meowth shook his head. "No no, you dolts. Alright, let me put it this way. What do kids want to be besides a pokemon trainer?"

"Olympic swimmer?" James responded.

"Teacher?" Jessie grumbled.

Meowth face palmed. "Geez. You two would be so lost without me."

"What was that?" James and Jessie both asked together with their hands a few inches away from Meowth's face.

"Nothing!" Meowth backed up. "Anyway, as I was saying. Children want to be magicians! It's every kids dream to be one." Meowth patted his chest. His intelligence sometimes even surprises himself.

"I don't remember that ever being my dream," James deadpanned.

"Me either," Jessie noted.

Meowth boiled up with anger. He got up to the twos faces. "Well I don't see anyone else making the plans so shut your mouth and let me talk!" Meowth snarled. Jessie and James let him continue. "Okay, so this is the plan. We'll pretend to magicians see, and we'll ask for the assistance of a certain Pikachu in the audience. Ooh! It can be a disappearing act and we'll take Pikachu straight after. It's foolproof!" Meowth stated with pride.

The other two Team Rocket members smiled. "Now I see where you're going with this!" James started looking around. "But we're going to have to look like the real deal."

Jessie nodded. "We need costumes." She replied plainly.

"Hmmm. If only if there was a vehicle with all the necessary materials needed for our evil plan," Meowth hummed. Conveniently enough, they heard the sound of a horn honking and turned around to see a stray vehicle with no one around it. The three rushed towards the vehicle and found a pile of costumes along with props for different magic tricks.

"Well, that wasn't that hard," James said, astonished by their good fortune.

Meowth chuckled. "Obviously. When you have a great plan it will all got sorted out sooner or later." They all began rummaging through the different types of equipment.

"Ooh! This will look marvelous on me!" Jessie gushed over the magicians outfit that she had in her hands. It consisted of a white long sleeve shirt with a black suit. It had purple pants, a magician's top hat, a red mask, and a pair of white gloves. James eyes widened when he saw the only other article of clothing left.

"Uhh…" He held the large pink poofy dress in his hands. It came along with a pair of pink heels, a flower hair clipping, and an orange mask. "Do you want to trade? I'm positive that this will look better on you," He suggested.

Jessie glared at him. "Are you saying that I look ugly in this?!"

"No no no!" James shook his head nervously. "I'm just saying, you might want something for women."

"Oh, are you trying tell me that I can't be the magician because I'm a woman!?" She demanded.

James sighed in defeat. "It wasn't my intention…"

"Well, it's in my best intention that you'd wear that assistant's clothing before you find yourself blasting off in the sky," Jessie threatened menacingly. Meowth's snickering caught James' attention.

"Oh you think this is funny!? Let's see…" James started looking around.

"Tee-hee! You're going to be in a pretty pretty dress! Do you want me to escort you, madame?" He joked with tears in his eyes.

"Aha!" James picked up a green and red box with a pokeball in the center. "Since you're the _'mastermind'_ of this plan and there's no more costumes left you can be used for our trick." He grinned evilly. "Into the box Meowth."

Meowth gasped. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh yes I would!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Oh yes!"

"No!"

"Ye-" James and Meowth were silenced by a smack on the back of their heads.

"Quit blabbering you two." Jessie was already in her costume. "James, go put on that dress."

"B-b-but I-I..." James stuttered.

"Now!" She hissed. James hung his head low and went behind a tree to change.

"Hehe. Serves that lug right," Meowth mused.

Jessie's glare hardened. "Into the box." Meowth started to protest until one menacing growl convinced him to hop in the box. James soon arrived in his frilly dress.

"I'm ready," He said flatly. Jessie nodded in approval and got in the driver's seat. Now they were rolling!

They were approaching the preschool and Jessie decided to crank up the music.

"Come one. Come all! And be amazed!" Her voice boomed through the vehicle's speakers. "You'll be absolutely astounded by the world's greatest pokemon magic show!"

James got into his role. "It's mystifying. And it's twistifying," James said in a high pitch voice. "And we have a special treat in honor of Kids Day! Today for one day only, our magic show is free!" James announced. Jessie smirked when she saw the little kids start running to them. The plan was heading to a great start. She got out of the vehicle with several cards in her hands.

"Now, who wants to see a little pokemon magic trick?" She asked the group of preschoolers. Jessie smiled at their approval. "First we'll see a pokemon disappear."

"A Pikachu." Meowth heard James say from within his box. He poked his head out.

"Do you think we can really pull this off?"

James put his head back in the box. "This is your plan genius. Don't make me saw you in half." Meowth stayed quiet for the ride. Once the vehicle stop moving he felt his box being lifted up.

"Just keep quiet and wait for your queue," James whispered to him. Meowth sat on the bottom of the box patiently while Jessie and James made their introduction. He felt himself start to doze off before James called to him.

"Quick! Make yourself invisible," James urged him.

"What!? But I can't do that!" Meowth sputtered.

"Make it work fast." Meowth began panicking. He could slowly feel the box being lifted up again and the lid start to open.

"Believe. Believe. Just believe," Meowth whispered to himself. He saw the brightness in the box increase.

"As you can see there's nothing inside." Once the lid closed once more, Meowth sighed in relief.

"Guess the power of believing in yourself truly does work." Meowth continued sitting patiently until he saw the lid open up again.

"Pikachu!" Meowth saw the tiny mouse pokemon enter the box with him. Quickly, he wrapped his paw around his mouth to keep him quiet. "Not a single peep from you, got it?" Meowth growled.

"Now watch. One... two… three!" That was his queue. Letting go of Pikachu, Meowth hopped out of the box and stood proudly on top of it.

"Ta da da da!" He cried. Meowth, along with the rest of Team Rocket smirked at the childrens cheerings.

"Thank you! And that's our show for today." They began walking off the stage.

"Wait a minute!" Ash yelled. "What did you do with Pikachu? You look very familiar to me. Who are you anyways?!" Ash accused the three. Sensing that the gig was up, the three nodded to each other and swiftly took off their disguises.

"Time to prepare for trouble!" Jessie started.

"Presto change-o and make it double," James said after her. They were briefly interrupted by the sounds of the children. "All right it's quiet time now, we're just getting to the good part." James and Jessie shooed them away.

"To protect the world from devastation," Jessie continued.

"To unite all peoples within our nation," James followed.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie-ah ow!" Jessie yelped as she felt several hands starting to pull on her hair.

"Ja-ja-james!" James didn't fare so well either. His words were muffled by the child on his face. Somehow, one of the kids dug in his pockets and took one of the pokeballs. They released his pokemon.

Meowth watched this hostile scene from the background. "And they say why do I hate children," He uttered under his breath.

"Geez. Tough crowd," He heard Kuzuki say.

"Kids sure do love to play around," Ash chimed in.

"Hey! That's mine! No fair!" James whined after seeing his Weezing being tossed around. All the kids focused their attention at the pokemon in the air.

Jessie crossed her arms and looked on with a surprised look on her face. "Weezing sure does make a nice volleyball," She mused.

"Stop that!" James cried. The young woman, not knowing who Jessie and James were, called for the kids attention.

"Please children. Stop before someone gets hurt." Her words fell deaf in their ears as they continued tossing Weezing in the air. "GET INSIDE THIS INSTANT!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. The children giggled and scattered all over the room.

James, fed up with the way they were being treated, sent out a command to the poison gas pokemon. "Weezing! Smoke screen now!" Weezing breathed out a large smoke of air that spreaded throughout the room.

"Meow?" Meowth couldn't see his pals so he started looking around. He heard the sounds of a young boy call his name and before he knew it the box that he was standing on tumbled to the floor.

"Quit playing around Meowth," James scolded the talking pokemon. "Let's get out of here!" Jessie and James grabbed the box and starting leaving.

"Hope you all enjoyed the show!" They both mocked.

"Wait for me," Meowth responded. He caught up with his partners. The three rushed in their vehicle and drove off to the forest. All the while they giggled happily at their successful capture. Jessie pulled over when they were deep inside the forest.

"Grab the net James!" She ordered. He complied, eagerly awaiting their new Pikachu. Meowth helped Jessie carry the box and placed it on the ground.

"Ready James?"

"Ready Jess," James replied with his net in his grasp.

"We've finally got what we wanted. Let's take out our newest Pikachu." Quickly taking off the lid, Jessie held "Pikachu" while James swung his net down but halted. They all gasped. There, was a little kid with tears streaming down his eyes.

"That's not a Pikachu!" Jessie pointed out the obvious. She cradled the kid in her arms. "Don't cry. Please don't cry," Jessie pleaded.

James poked his head in the box. "There's no Pikachu."

"How could that be!?" Jessie asked.

"Maybe it's magic…"

 ** _Present..._**

"Or maybe it's kidnapping!" Officer Jenny snapped. "Care to explain why you all were going to steal pokemon and kidnapped an innocent child?!" She was fuming.

Meowth sweated. "No! It's not what you think! I was a hero-"

"Or maybe you're just a villain," Officer Jenny retorted.

"I'm an anti-hero is what I am!" Meowth shot back. Officer Jenny was ready to fire back until the great town of Camphrier was seen. The buildings were old but were still standing in one piece.

"We're here," Officer Jenny told the four pokemon. They all cheered minus Meowth who was still recovering from the close call. They all got out of her motorcycle and approached the city. Suddenly.

"Ah!" Meowth yelped as he covered his ears. The sounds of roaring were too loud for his hearing.

"What is that?" Officer Jenny resisted the sound and kept walking. The huge wall surround the town had a large doorway. They all walked in.

"Finally, the noise stopped. Wow. This all looks pretty neat." Meowth's eyes sparkled at the sight of the enormous castle on top of a rocky hill.

"It sure does." Officer Jenny's eyes scanned the elderly man who was walking with a bag in his hands. Most likely from shopping. He had a green suit on and a tiny pair of glasses sat on the bridge of his nose.

"Excuse me sir." She got his attention. "I'm an Officer Jenny and I came to check on how this town is doing."

The elder man smiled. "Greetings Miss Jenny. I'm a butler working for Lord Shabboneau. Everything is fine here at the moment. Lord Shabboneau has graciously lent me an hour for shopping for my necessities," The butler explained.

"Lord Shabboneau is the man in that huge castle all the way up there?" Meowth pointed to the top of the rocky hill.

The butler nodded. "Yes and my time is almost up. I really must be going." The elder man began walking.

"Wait!" The butler stopped. "Before you go, will you tell us what all the noise is?"

"Ah. That." The butler placed his hand on his chin. "It's just Snorlax taking a nap. You see, every year Snorlax comes down from the mountains and eats the roots of our harvested field crops. This cultivates the field and brings us good crops to grow. Because of this, Lord Shabboneau declares a festival to show our gratitude," The butler explained to them.

"How interesting," Meowth commented. This new piece of information already gave him a few ideas.

"Yes but Snorlax is still here. We need him to return to his home but instead he remains immobile in the town. As you can tell his snoring is quite loud. Some people are already finding it very annoying," The butler informed her.

"That's terrible. How do you wake up the Snorlax?" She asked.

The butler hesitated. "The only thing that can awaken Snorlax is the Poké Flute."

"Where's this Poké Flute then?"

"It's not my place to tell," The butler responded quickly. "Sorry Miss Jenny but Lord Shabboneau has ordered me to keep it a secret. I assure you we'll have it under control."

The officer rose an eyebrow. "If you insist. Tell Lord Shabboneau that I came to check up on the town." Officer Jenny waved farewell and headed for the exit.

"With that out of the way we can now finally save our partners!" Meowth exclaimed to the officer and Kuzuki's pokemon. He dashed to the motorcycle and the pokemon followed his lead.

 ** _Back at the smuggler headquarters..._**

The man entered the room and was sickened at the sight. He always hated "watching the prisoner duty."

Pyroar yawned, his whole body sprawled on top of the boy. His massive paws were in his face. The royal pokemon was asleep while the boy under it was whimpering.

"Ugh. Having a Pyroar sleep on you is the worst," Kuzuki said to himself, unaware that a new person had entered the room. The man noticed that his attire was hanging by threads. A piece of cloth was in the mouth of Pyroar. He noticed piles of ashes surrounding the two, most likely caused by Pyroar's Flamethrower.

The man stared at the boy again. He found out that he had burn marks all over his face. He let out a scoff. Bradshaw really was unforgiving. It made him think back to his first day working for him. That day when one of his workers told Bradshaw that he wanted to quit so he could spend time with his family. Needless to say, that guy was kicked out of the building with a very needed trip to the local medical facility. From that day forward he promised himself never to get on Bradshaw's bad side.

Years have passed since then and the man started to feel unsatisfied with his job. Back then he used to get paid a hefty amount of money. It was one of the reasons why he took up the job. Comparing it to his current pay, there was obviously a massive difference now. Bradshaw cut most of his mens paychecks due to "unfortunate setbacks." He was smarter than that, he knew that Bradshaw was hording the money for himself. He was sure that others were unhappy as well but were too frightened to even bring up the topic.

Bradshaw's wrath was no joke. When he wants something, you give it. If he wants you to do something, you do it. If he wants you to tell him of any "complaints" about his ruling, you tell him. Bradshaw always finds out. Enough was enough for him. He desperately wants out of this place, the only problem being is that you can't leave the building without Bradshaw's approval.

"There's got to be a way," The man told himself. He then looked at Kuzuki. This was his final straw. Hurting and taking a kid hostage was too out of line for him. He thought to himself if the kid could in anyway help him out.

"Psst. Hey kid," He whispered so that Pyroar wouldn't wake up. Kuzuki slowly turned his head and took a glimpse at the man.

"Does Bradshaw need me? Oh please just take me already, I don't want to be in here with this monster." Kuzuki's pleading eyes caused the man to frown.

"No I'm not kid." Kuzuki sighed and slumped his head back to the floor. "Let me tell you something. How would you like to get out of this place?" Kuzuki's head immediately perked up. "Careful kid. Don't wake up sleepy beauty over there," He warned Kuzuki.

"Is it true? Will you really help me? Or is this a trap?" He narrowed his eyes at the mysterious man.

"No, this is not no trap. Think of this as a deal. I help you and you help me. I recall you having an officer friend last time I saw you."

"What's Officer Jenny got to do with this?" Kuzuki questioned.

"I got this device." The man held the device and showed it to Kuzuki. "You can send a message to anyone. I want you to contact this officer and get her to come here. Then she'll most definitely come save you," The man explained his plan.

Kuzuki nodded. "Alright, so what do you want in return?"

The man scowled. "I want to come with. I hate being treated as an inferior. I want to quit working here under Bradshaw's command. I can't leave without some assistance."

"I thought everyone was evil and loved working for Bradshaw here," Kuzuki remarked.

The man rolled his eyes. "I hate to rain on your parade but not everyone likes it here. They don't show it but I can tell. Are you in?" He shook the device.

"Of course! I want to get out of here as much as you do." Kuzuki tilted his head up. "What about this monster. Kind of need him away of my body."

The man's thoughtful expression shined. "Good question. Let me see-" His thinking was cut off when the door slammed opened. Bradshaw came to view with a mechanical cap in his hands. Kuzuki instantly knew what it was.

"Out," Bradshaw asserted sternly. The man hesitated but nevertheless followed his order and left. Kuzuki's face was distraught. There went his last hope in escaping.

"Hello Mr. Sakai," Bradshaw snorted. "I'm sure you're enjoying your time here," He mocked the boy.

"Yeah and I'm sure you'll enjoy going to hell," Kuzuki fired back.

"Ah, always the feisty one." Bradshaw shook his head in false disappointment. "Get up you stupid cat." Bradshaw kicked Pyroar's stomach. The royal pokemon whined and got off of Kuzuki.

"Now get before there's more where that came from," Bradshaw growled. Pyroar yelped and rushed out of the room. "Now then, we're all alone now." He presented the mechanical cap to Kuzuki. "I'm sure you remember this old thing."

Kuzuki glared at him. "It's my own creation. Why wouldn't I know you stupid idiot." He was met with a hard punch to his face.

"Treat me with the the damn respect that I deserve!" Bradshaw yelled. He forcefully put the device on Kuzuki and knocked him to the ground. "I've had my fun with you these past six days and I think it's time for a change. And it's going to happen with your own creation. Ironic, ain't it?" Bradshaw laughed.

"Are you doing what I think you're doing?" Kuzuki said quietly.

"But of course." Bradshaw beamed arrogantly. "I'm sure you're aware what this does. Well, maybe not in a couple of minutes. Your memories will be erased by then. Every single memory of yours will be gone. You'll be so lost. That's where I come in and train you to become a ruthless pokemon smuggler! Maybe even more!"

Kuzuki gasped weakly. Bradshaw flicked the switch and watched the magic work. Kuzuki's mind felt weak, he felt the process begin.

"This'll be a while. I'm partially parched. Hmph, the process will be done by the time I get back. Man it feels so good to be so bad." He laughed his way out of the room.

Kuzuki couldn't move. He was tied up and already in pain due to Pyroar. The sparks of electricity flicked on the top of his head.

"I guess this is it. Being a pawn for Bradshaw is my future and I wouldn't even remember why." He closed his eyes and braced himself.

"Hiyah!" The man from before kicked the device off of Kuzuki's head. "Hey kid, are you alright?" Kuzuki's eyes were hazy, only seeing bright orange from the man. He shook his head frantically and stared at the man.

"You came back," Kuzuki mumbled. Thankfully for him, most of his memories were still intact. Although some of his older memories were a bit fuzzy. It didn't concern him though, it was a short term effect that can be resolved later. Kuzuki thanked his past self for making the invention slow. In truth, he wasn't smart enough to do so. That was Clemont's job.

"I had to. You're my only way out." Kuzuki grunted. "Here, hurry up and make that call. We don't have much time until Bradshaw comes back." He handed the foreign device to Kuzuki. Kuzuki took it with a puzzled face.

"What's this? I never seen it before." He examined the device.

"It's my Holocastor. It's a work in progress. Just use it already." Kuzuki shrugged and tapped on the screen which turned on automatically. He found what appeared to be the call dial and typed in the number.

 ** _Near Bradshaw's base..._**

"Hmm?" Officer Jenny picked up her radio when she heard it ringing. "This is Officer Jenny of Santalune City. How may I be of assistance?" She cursed her luck. Of course someone was going to call her when she was so close to her destination.

 _"Officer Jenny! It's me, Kuzuki!"_ Officer Jenny stopped her motorcycle.

"Kuzuki!? You're okay!" The officer resounded in relief. Ivysaur and Swinub cheered loudly. Meowth took the radio from the officer.

"Where's Jessie and James?!" He asked.

Kuzuki coughed. _"I believe they're in the room next to me. I'm not to sure though. It's been six days since I last saw them."_ Meowth gave her back the radio and slumped down in disappointment.

"Right, so where are you Kuzuki? Did you get out of the Bradshaw's base?"

 _"That's the reason why I'm calling. Do you think you can give me another rescue here?"_

"I'm actually heading there right now. Don't think that I've forgot about you. Your friends were the ones that told me about your disappearance. I got your two pokemon with me right now too."

"Ivy!"

"Nub! Nub!"

 _"Oh man, am I glad to see that you two are alright. You too Meowth. Is there any useful information that I should tell them?"_

 _"Give it here,"_ A new voice said.

"Who are you?" Officer Jenny inquired.

 _"That's not important right now. What is important is how you are going to make it here."_

"What do you mean?"

 _"Bradshaw's got this place fortified. No way you can make it in here without some help. I'll fill you in on what you need to know. This place is hidden behind a hill. It has a huge boulder on the top so you shouldn't miss it. You have to arrive at the back, it's the only area where there isn't any guards. The stupidity of these people is amazing."_

"Got it. Anything else?"

 _"When you get inside there'll be guards all over. I suggest you use the vents that are near the back entrance. Do it quietly. There should be a guard around the corner. Make sure to make a left turn and then a right. From there it should be straight ahead. It won't lead to our room. It'll go to the room next to ours. No one should be there during this time except for those two people. The blue haired guy and the pink haired woman."_

Officer Jenny smiled. "You hear that Meowth? Your friends are still okay." Meowth nodded ecstatically.

 _"When you get there and come get us we have to leave immediately. Bradshaw would notice that something is wrong by the time you first come,"_ The man's word advised her.

"Anything else I should look out for?"

 _"Yes. Last thing I have to tell you. When you enter the building don't turn back. See you in a few."_

 _"Bye!"_ Kuzuki said before the call ended.

 ** _Back at Bradshaw's base_**...

The man put back his device. "That should do it. I'm going to go unlock the vent for your friend. Bradshaw will be here any sec-" They both froze as they heard the door start to jiggle. Kuzuki quickly put the cap back on and slumped his neck back.

"You! I thought I told you to leave!" Bradshaw hissed once he saw the man again.

"I did sir. I heard something in here and I thought that I'd check it out," The man responded cooly.

"Since you're here now you might as well be the first to see my newest trainee. Pick yourself up boy!" Bradshaw barked. Kuzuki stood up to his best ability, holding back a wince of pain. "Now, what's your name?"

Kuzuki scratched his head. "I-i can't remember. I'm very sorry sir," Kuzuki apologised.

Bradshaw clapped his hands. "It's a success! Your name is..hmm...Gilbert."

"Gilbert?" Ku-Gilbert questioned.

"Yes and you're a new recruit for my smuggling business. Come, I'll show you around." Bradshaw exited the room. Kuzuki gave a head nod to the man before following Bradshaw out.

 ** _Elsewhere..._**

"I can see the boulder," Officer Jenny informed the pokemon. "We're right outside their base. The man with Kuzuki told me to go to the back. Should be a few minutes." Officer Jenny made a detour so she could sneakily go through the back.

"Ivysaur. Ivy."

"No way. If we do that we'll be caught in an instant," Meowth replied to the seed pokemon.

"Manectric."

"That could work but there's some holes in that idea," Meowth told the discharge pokemon.

"Nub! Nub!"

"No! We can't just prance around there like a bunch of Ponytas!" Meowth scolded the pig pokemon.

"What're you all babbling on about?" Officer Jenny asked the talking pokemon.

"We're talking about what we will do if we get spotted," Meowth answered back.

Officer Jenny frowned. "You sure do have a lot of doubt in us."

Meowth shook his head. "It's not like I'm unfaithful to our plan. I'm just thinking about all the possible outcomes if our plan goes wrong. It's always good to prepare."

"I guess that makes since," Officer Jenny agreed with his methods.

Meowth looked at her curiously. "So what's going to happen with you after all of this is out of our way. Kuzuki and his pokemon will go back to with their friends on their journey. My pals and I will go back to steali-er I mean petting other pokemon. What about you?" Meowth asked to pass time.

Officer Jenny smiled. "Oh you know, I'll go back to my duties. It's what I do and what I'll continue to due until I hang up my hat. Receiving phone calls about unusual activity, bad tensions between others, or stolen pokemon." She made sure to gaze at Meowth at the last part.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll do your best to catch those awful criminals. Bunch of hooligans if you ask me." Meowth smiled innocently.

"Right. Anyways, we're here." Officer Jenny parked her motorcycle in a bush and exited her vehicle. She stared at the huge building before her. It was shaped like a box. The building was green. She guessed it was so it was harder to see. Officer Jenny began her trek to Bradshaw's base. When she was a few feet away she told the rest to crouch down to prevent any noise.

The door was left open slightly. Officer Jenny took a deep breath and opened the door gently so that it wouldn't creek. "Alright guys, not a sound." The pokemon nodded affirmatively. Entering the building, the officer tiptoed her way in and just as the man said, there were voices just around the other corner.

"I've been telling you man. There's some sort of trick to these smoke bombs. It won't work for some reason and I'm going to find out," The voice said with confidence.

"Wait! Don't!" The other voice warned but it was too late.

 ** _Pokémon Smuggler A used Smoke Bomb!_**

 ** _He missed!_**

"Damn it! Ah! My eyes! My beautiful baby blue eyes!" The voice howled in pain.

"Way to go you stupid idiot! You roped me into this too. Gah!" The other voice also moaned in pain.

Officer Jenny stood there with an amused look on her face. "They never learn do they." She scanned the area and noticed the vents from up above. True to the man's words, it was open.

"Come on guys. It's big enough for all of us to squeeze into." Officer Jenny helped the pokemon up by lifting them to the top. Once finished she jumped high in the air and grabbed the ledge of the vent. Pulling herself up, Officer Jenny had a look of determination in her eyes.

"Alright guys. Just like the man said. Take a left, then a right, and finally go straight the whole way," Officer Jenny reminded the four.

"Right. I'll lead the way," Meowth announced and began crawling to the left with the others in tow.

"Just hang on for a few minutes longer Kuzuki. I promised that little girl that I'll get you back and I sure as hell won't leave until I do so."

 ** _Author's Note:_** **_Chapter eight is finished and out of the way. *Story Summary updated again.* I would like to say to all those who favorite/follow my story thank you, it makes me happy knowing that you all care about reading the story even if it isn't a lot I still appreciate it. Another thing I want to mention is for those who get chapter alerts, it's all messed up when it gets sent to you. Somehow the site thinks that I'm one chapter ahead like last chapter (7) saying that it was eight. I don't why it does that and I'm still working on a way to fix it. Onto the story, I added the scene that took place in the original Pokémon series for the kick of it and show how the beginning changed with Kuzuki in the mix. I really liked how it turned out. Next chapter will most likely be shorter than my usual chapters so I'll apologise in advance for it. To finish off this unnecessarily long author's note, stay tuned for Chapter Nine: Officer Jenny vs. Bradshaw! The Fight for Freedom!_**


	9. One Final Stand

_Chapter 9:_ _One Final Stand_

Ash was thankful of the ninja named Sanpei. Although he didn't get his Froakie to learn Quick Attack he did learn Double Team. It was still an achievement in Ash's book. They bid each other farewell afterwards and continued their journey to Cyllage City for his second gym badge.

"What's the next place before Cyllage City called again?" Bonnie asked. The sun was setting down and she began to feel drowsy from today's events.

"Let me check," Serena said cheerfully. Ash smiled, these past several days he found out that Serena wasn't as bad as he thought. It was like she was a totally different person. Though, it just so happened to be during the time of Kuzuki's absence. Ash couldn't enjoy the delightful atmosphere until he was sure that his friend was alright.

Serena pulled out her map on her Pokédex. "It says here that Camphrier Town is close along with Parfum Palace." Everyone went silent upon hearing that.

"Right…" Clemont started. "..we should camp here for today. We'll continue tomorrow morning." Bonnie nodded and went to her brother's side.

"You got a point Clemont," Ash said while looking at the sunset. He set his backpack on the ground and pulled out his green sleeping bag. Everyone followed. They all sat in silence.

"You know, when we arrive at Camphrier Town we should look and ask if Officer Jenny found Kuzuki yet," Ash suggested. "Man, it sure would be a kick if we find him near the town, all readied up to continue our journey together," Ash went on with a reassuring smile. Clemont and Bonnie perked up at this.

"I think I speak for all of us and say we were all thinking the same thing," Clemont said with Ash and Bonnie nodding in agreement.

Serena scoffed. "You don't speak for all of us." Serena was pretty satisfied these last couple of days. Especially because her relationship with Ash improved. Still, the topic on Kuzuki annoyed her. One could say being rude to a person in a dire situation was low, even in the back of her mind did these thoughts come to her. Her comment was out of habit and she hoped that Ash would ignore it. All that hard work on fixing their strained friendship would go to waste.

 _Luck_ _wasn't on her side._

"Why do you keep on doing that!?" Ash snapped. "Kuzuki could be really hurt for all we know and you're still insulting him."

Serena stood her ground. "I'm allowed to say whatever I want. I don't care what happens to Ku-"

"You don't care, huh!?" Ash interrupted, his voice getting louder. "Then why do you have his stuff?" Ash pointed to the bracelet on her wrist. "You act like you hate Kuzuki but deep down you know it's not true," Ash accused her with his statement. He wasn't one hundred percent sure but with the way she's been acting it made sense to him.

"I don't kn-"

"You do know. Kuzuki hasn't been any of those things that you describe him to be. I don't know if you know this but Kuzuki talks positively about you whenever I ask him, but you…" Ash clenched his fists. "..you…" Ash sat on the ground with a pained look on his face. Clemont was ready to interject if it got out of control. Seeing Ash calm down, Clemont called Bonnie over to prepare for bed and left the two to talk it out. Pikachu sat beside his trainer in an attempt to comfort him.

An awkward silence passed over and Serena thought about what Ash said. She stared at her bracelet, why did she wear it? Would she care if she just left it here and went without it? Of course.

"You know, I recall what Kuzuki mentioned before." Ash spoke in a quiet and calm tone. Serena gazed at him. "How you and him were at camp back then. He made it sound like you two were the best of friends. It doesn't look like that now, though Kuzuki acts like nothing has changed. Not you though. What happened?" Ash asked seriously.

Serena stared at her sleeping bag. She dreaded that question. She eyed Ash again and shook her head gently.

Ash sighed. "Guess you don't want to talk about." A revelation came to his mind. "We're similar in a way now that I think about it."

"How?" Serena asked in a hoarse voice.

Ash petted his sleeping Pikachu. "I had a childhood friend too. His name is Gary Oak. We used to be the best of friends kind of like you and Kuzuki. It was before my journey did we find a pokeball while we were out fishing. We fought over it." Ash chuckled, realizing how ridiculous it sounded now. "In the end we broke it in half and we never got along after that. Later did I found out that Gary kept his half of the pokeball like I did. It's like the deal with your bracelet I suppose."

Serena's eyes were sincere. "What happened to him?"

"We were rivals, always competing to be the best. It wasn't until the Silver Conference did we stop our feud. I beat him to advance in the Victory Tournament. We became friends again by our hard fought battle!" Ash said with joy recalling his battle. "Gary decided to stop being a pokemon trainer and instead became a pokemon researcher. I'm glad things went back like they used to. It reminded me how good of a friend Gary is," Ash finished as Clemont and Bonnie came back and the older sibling tucked his sister inside her sleeping bag.

"Not that I mind but why are you telling me this Ash?" Serena questioned. Ash pondered about it for a moment before he smiled at the girl.

"I guess I don't have a reason. It's just something to think about. Friendships have their ups and downs but in the end you'll find out how much you care about them." Serena's eyes widened at the statement. From their short time together she figured out that Ash wasn't the one to make scholarly words. She believed it had to do with experiencing it first hand.

"There's something else too. I lied a couple days back. Before all this happened," He referenced to his absent friend. Serena raised an eyebrow. What did he lie about? "Remember when I told you how Kuzuki got disqualified during the Silver Conference?" Ash asked.

Reluctantly, Serena nodded her head. "Yes, you told me how Ku-he battled some other person before your match. So did he really do something terrible then? It would make sense." Serena cringed as she spilled that last part out. To her relief, Ash decided to ignore it.

"I lied, it wasn't because the person made fun of his pokemon. The real reason why he battled him was because of that." Ash pointed to her wrist. Serena unintentionally held it to her chest. "He told me not to tell anyone but I think that you should at least find out. I don't know what's so special about that bracelet. You two sure do love it so much."

"Maybe…" Serena mumbled while gazing at her accessory.

Ash let out a soft laugh. "It's okay if you do. It's not a big deal to admit."

"If only you knew," Serena whispered quietly.

"Anyway, back to where I left off. There was some guy that was trying to intimidate Kuzuki. Kuzuki ignored him so the guy snatched the bracelet from his wrist when he wasn't paying attention and ran off. Before I could stop him, Kuzuki was already after him. When Kuzuki came back he told me what happened and that he was disqualified from the tournament. Now that I think about it, Kuzuki and my other friend Brock read up on the rules the night before. I think he did know what he was doing at the time." Ash made direct eye contact with Serena who was trying hard to hold back her tears.

"Serena, Kuzuki threw away his chance at becoming Johto League Champion on purpose so he could get that bracelet back. After that, he hid it in his backpack so it wouldn't happen again. It's worth knowing what our friends are willing to do for us. I'm not pressuring you or anything but I think you should reconsider your decision." Ash's words made Serena's heart clench. It was Serena's instinct to ignore Kuzuki as much as she could. Hearing what Ash said, her initial thoughts began to slightly change.

Now that she thought about it, Kuzuki and her never really fully have a conversation when he joined their group. It was usually the occasional words that Kuzuki used to direct her but the same couldn't be said about her. She blatantly refused to even utter a word to him after day one of "reuniting." Serena recalled back then where she admits that she was a bit of a chatterbox when it came to talking with Kuzuki. She used to love how clueless Kuzuki was to most of the everyday common activities. How they spend their days having fun.

Then it just went away after that fateful day. She remembered how crestfallen she was when Kuzuki pretended that she wasn't there. But he was always with her, whether it was close by or several feet away, he never was apart from her. Though, he made the rest of her camp experience a pain. He'd often picked on her and cast her aside. Camp ended and she downright despised him by then. He came by and Serena turned her back against him, refusing to look at him. Then she felt Kuzuki spin her around and embrace her tightly. Serena tried to push him off but he didn't let go.

Eventually, she started to cry and hugged him back. It was then that an older man came and pried Kuzuki off of her. The man glared at her and pulled him away. They began walking off and she could hear what Kuzuki said.

 _"Sorry dad, I just felt bad for her, honest. It didn't mean anything."_

She failed to hear the pained tone Kuzuki spoke with. Almost as if he forced it to escape his mouth. Instead, she focused on the words and broke down crying even more than she did before. From then on, she told herself to never trust him again. Just forget about him and move on with life. Now, she thought back to all those times when Kuzuki left her to dust. Was there a motive for all of it? Why would he do all of these horrible actions and then pretend like nothing has happened. Why he was still around her. Why he even sacrificed his tournament spot to retrieve the symbolism of their former friendship.

Serena faced Ash, a grateful look on her face. "Thank you Ash." She truthfully meant it. Because of him, her mind was more clearer. Not fully, but enough for her to realize things she missed.

"No problem Serena." Ash grinned and gave her a thumbs up. Serena felt her mood go up because of this. "I'm going to turn in early today, goodnight," Ash replied. He lay down in his sleeping bag and drifted to sleep with Pikachu close by.

Clemont smiled at how the conflict resolved peacefully. It was one of the things he admired about Ash. He pulled out his Bonnie-Out-of-Bed-o-Matic invention and winded it up. Satisfied, he placed it in between himself and Bonnie before he readied himself to go to sleep.

Serena was the last of them to fall asleep. She watched the dimming sun peacefully. She yawned and started to prepare to fall asleep too. Serena pushed all of her raging thoughts out her mind. Eased, she fell asleep with only one single word in her mind.

 _Maybe._

 ** _At Bradshaw's Base..._**

Officer Jenny held her breath when she heard the voices from below. She prayed that they wouldn't hear the soft thuds from above. Taking a right, the human and the four pokemon went straight forward the whole way until there was a dead end. Looking around there was a vent cover under her.

"Hold on." Officer Jenny pounded on the vent cover with her elbow. Eventually, it busted open and fell down. The officer went down the hole with her fingertips on the edge of the hole. Reaching the floor, Officer Jenny dusted the dust off her clothes and looked up.

"Come down guys, I'll catch you." Officer Jenny called out. When all of them were on the floor they began searching the room. A few minutes later, Officer Jenny came across two figures. One was a male and the other was a female. She matched them with the description that a certain pokemon told her.

"Hey Meowth," She said, being careful not to be too loud. "I found your friends here." Officer Jenny saw the most genuine smile plastered on Meowth's face as he rushed over to see his pals.

"Jessie! James! I finally found you guys!" Meowth exclaimed, shaking both of them rapidly. He didn't notice that the two weren't fully aware of their surroundings. The shaking causes the two to stir awake.

"Huh….what's with all the shaking?" James spoke tiredly.

"Yeah. I feel like a spinning top..." Jessie muttered hoarsely.

"It's me, Meowth! I came to rescue you two lugs out of here." The two lost their dazed state.

"Meowth?!" They both responded in unison. The three hugged each other for a few seconds before looking serious.

"How'd you find us Meowth? We thought we were in a secluded area?" Jessie asked her fellow Team Rocket member.

"I had some help." He tilted his head where Officer Jenny stood. Jessie and James yelped and pulled Meowth to their side.

"You do know that's an officer, right?" James squeaked worriedly.

Meowth waved his paw nonchalantly. "Relax. I haven't told her who we really are. Give me some credit, I'm not that dense when it comes to being near the law enforcement." Meowth winked at the two. "It's temporary. Just until I get you guys out of here," Meowth reassured his team. Of course, Meowth's clever thinking and personality steered Officer Jenny off of his true self.

"What's with the R on your shirts?" Officer Jenny questioned, looking at the barely visible R on Jessie and James shirts. Meowth took offense to this.

"Why I ought to teach you a lesson for not knowing what the infamous R stands for. For your information, it stands for Team Rocket-uh no! I mean...er...what I meant to say was rocks. Yeah that's it, rocks because we love rock type pokemon." Meowth grinned weirdly.

Jessie was not amused. "Right, you're not dense. Almost spilling the beans without thinking about it." Officer Jenny left the three and rounded up the other pokemon.

"Did you find anything guys?" Officer Jenny sighed as they shook their heads.

"If you're looking for the boy…" Officer Jenny turned to Jessie, who was clutching her jaw. "..he's in that room. It's hard to see with the dark but it's there." Jessie pointed a finger near the corner of the room. Upon further examination she did find the door. Sprinting, Officer Jenny forcefully opened the door only to return empty handed.

"Are you two sure he was in there?"

Jessie crossed her arms. "Of course, all the echoing screams sure does stick to one's mind like glue." Officer Jenny's looked at her with horror. "Although, that was earlier. We've been restless since." The female Team Rocket member rubbed her jaw tenderly.

"Yes." James nodded. "That Bradshaw man fellow knows how to add that tiny bit of craziness. That lunatic must've taken him somewhere else," James pondered. This alarmed the officer. No good can come out of being in Bradshaw's company.

"Noted. Come on guys we have t-" Officer Jenny was cut off from speaking with the pokemon.

"Wait!" James interjected. An expression of desperation on his face. "You have to help us. Our pokemon are still somewhere in this building."

Officer Jenny facepalmed. "Correct. How did I miss that part." Saving Kuzuki was the only thing on her mind that she nearly forgot about the other pokemon. "Do you two happen to know where their current location is?"

James shook his head. "I'm afraid not. The only thing I can tell you is that I heard a couple of rowdy pokemon to our left," James acknowledged.

"That's better than nothing. We should get going before someone sees us." To her dismay, just as she finished her words, the door opened abruptly. They all jumped in surprise.

"Relax," The voice said.

Officer Jenny recognized it. "You're the guy on the radio."

"Precisely. I had a hunch that you all would still be in here." The man waved his hand towards the door. "Come. We must not stop our trek. I've already contacted the local authority. They should be here in a while. You all must do exactly what I tell you to do. If not, our cover will be blown and the others will be on high alert. They'd flee by the time the authority comes. For now, we shall go to where the pokemon are held at. It's the only way we can match up with the number disadvantage." He walked out the room.

Officer Jenny considered what he said. She would've contacted her own force but the mission was too personal for her and she wanted to do it solo. Motioning to the others, they all headed out in pursuit of the man.

They walked along the halls for a few minutes, with the man ordering for them to stop so he could check if the coast was clear on every corner.

"We're close," He noted. Officer Jenny's eyes wandered around the next room they were approaching. It had to be the biggest one yet. The interior walls stretched out high up. She estimated the room to be a forty by fifty floorplan. Almost the size of a small house.

"This room is huge!" Meowth exclaimed.

"It has to be," The man replied in a monotone voice. "More storage means more pokemon to hold." He lead everyone into the room where the noises of the pokemon was audible.

"Woah..." James trailed off as he took in the sight. This was the most pokemon that he ever seen at once. There were two out of the three pokemon starters and all their evolution lines grouped up in force field like cage. Surprisingly, there weren't any Froakies and their evolutions. There were also Talonflames, Butterfrees, a single Riolu, Delcattys, Gogoats, Dodrios, Aegislashs, Haxorus', and Toxicroaks. That was just the few she could name that was on the right side. There was even a Gyarados in an aqua tank.

James began searching the room until he found what he was looking for. "Malamar!" He cried, running to the overturning pokemon. Malamar was placed in the most fortified cell out of all the pokemon due to its physic abilities that hold unbelievable power. For extra insurance, the overturning pokemon waa held by chains for each tentacle. James pressed his face on the cell and banged on the fortified shield. Unfortunately, Malamar wasn't awake to see or hear him.

"Stop that. You're going to mess up the procedure!" The man snapped. He saw the confused look on James' face. "He's in a trance of some sort. I don't know the exact details. What I do know is that he's asleep by force. Bradshaw decided not to have him awake for too long as it could come up with a plan and use it's extraordinary powers," He explained to the Team Rocket member.

"Looks like you struck gold with catching Inkay," Meowth speculated. "Shame I didn't see it evolve." James took another look at his pokemon before regrouping with the others.

"Not to worry young man. I'll go reprogram all the cells so that they'll open and then you can get your pokemon," He told them. James gave a firm nod. The man headed to a long table where there were several computer lined next to each other. There was also multiple buttons that even made Officer Jenny puzzled at what they do. Officer Jenny's senses heightened when she heard the faint scurrying near a dark corner. She was on high alert. However, before the man reached the path to the pokemons freedom.

"Whammy slammy!" A crazed voiced hollered. The man fell back in limp, unconscious. Officer Jenny cursed as her instincts were right. Standing behind the unconscious body was the person that was the sorcery of her life. The man chuckled and took his sweet time approaching them.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Officer Jenny. I knew you'd be here."

Officer Jenny flinched. "What do you mean you knew Bradshaw?"

Bradshaw clasped his hands together. "Ah yes. I'll let you in on a little secret. When someone uses any form of communication around here my faithful high class commander gets the call. You wouldn't believe how I felt when he told me that one of my top chiefs was attempting to sell me out. I couldn't let that slide." Bradshaw kicked the man's stomach with brute force.

"Why didn't you catch us sooner then? I know you Bradshaw. You wouldn't let someone crawl through under your nose unless it's something important."

Bradshaw tapped his head with his finger. "Always the clever one it seems. Talking is such a mood killer. Instead, let me show you." Bradshaw walked away from them and returned in a heartbeat. He shoved someone in front of him. "Allow me to present you my latest pawn in trainer." The person staggered but eventually got up and met the officer's eye.

"Gilbert, reporting at your service." Gilbert saluted with an expressionless face. Officer Jenny and the others gasped.

"Kuzuki! What have they done to you?" Officer Jenny exclaimed in worry.

"Who is this Kuzuki? My name is Gilbert and I'm Bradshaw's loyal minion," He similarly mimicked the voice of a robot.

"Heya twerp. What's gotten into you? Hurry up and take this loon out," Meowth advised the boy.

Bradshaw yawned. "It seems like you all are too stupid to realise that this isn't the same boy from before. No, he's a devoted member to my business. Hehe, and all it took was using his own handiwork against him."

Officer Jenny gritted her teeth. "Just you wait Bradshaw. You'll pay for what you done!" The officer growled in fury.

"Oh I'm sure I will," He mocked her. "Let's see here. Three humans and four pokemon. Not that big of a threat. It's nothing that I can't handle on my own," He thought out loud.

"You're wrong!" James yelled. "With the power of an officer and our team, all bets will be on us. It'll be a one sided battle with us coming out on top!" James shouted confidently. Jessie and Meowth stood by his side and glared at Bradshaw.

"Is that so? Please, give me a break." Bradshaw boasted arrogantly. "I'll take all of you out in a flash. Manectric, stand your ground!" Bradshaw tossed his pokeball to the floor. The discharge pokemon roared in triumph. "My Manectric has gotten sluggish as of late. I think I'll assist him." Bradshaw grasped an unknown object in his hand and chucked it over at their side.

"Watch out!" Officer Jenny warned. The object beeped three times before an explosion of electrical waves bombarded everyone. It sent everyone flying back. James and Jessie were out in an instant. Meowth, following the officer's warning got out of the way and sustained only minimal damage. The pokemon staggered, but held their positions. Officer Jenny was sent back to the wall with a hard thud. Her face already showings signs of burn marks. Luckily for her she always wore a durable vest that protected her from any attack. Alas, it didn't mean that she was off scott free.

"Dammit," She cursed, clutching her stomach in pain.

Bradshaw howled in laughter. "Was that it? Really? I was expecting more from you all. Oh who am I kidding. No I wasn't," He taunted, slapping himself on the back.

"Don't count us out just yet!" The officer grimaced. "Manectric, don't let me down!" The other discharge pokemon leapt and landed inches from his own kin.

 _Officer of the Law Jenny vs. Elusive Pokémon Smuggler Bradshaw!_

"Same pokemon eh? Doesn't matter to me. My Manectric is clearly superior. But…" Bradshaw gave his pokemon an all knowing look. "..we want you all to suffer." He held out his wrist which had an unfamiliar bracelet. There was some sort of ring in it. He tapped on it. "Mega evolution, ho!" Bradshaw declared. The unrecognizable bracelet wrapped around Manectric's back hind leg began to glow. "By the power of greed and misfortune, show me your Mega evolution form!"

Manectric's growls rebounded off the walls in the room. Sparks of electricity spreaded throughout Manectric's entire body. Bradshaw stared at its power with hunger. Manectric's body started glowing vivid colors and transforming. Its original form grew larger and the yellow spikes on its back grew larger and caressed its head as well. Its mane now extended down the length of Manectric's body, forming four additional spikes. Its tail disappeared during the process and was replaced by its sharp spikes. Lastly, its claws shined bright red. Manectric roared aggressively and glared at its enemies. Officer Jenny gawked at its current state.

"You're capable of mega evolution!? But how!? Mega Evolution is only obtainable by having a strong bond between pokemon and trainer." Officer Jenny remembered the talk of evolution as explained by Kuzuki before. He shared his experience when facing a gym leader capable of it.

Bradshaw sneered. "My Manectric and I do indeed share a strong bond. The bond of hunger that is. Wanting more power than we have. I found Manectric when I was a young ruffian that ran away from home. You know what we did? We stole. We stole anything we desired. Year building up, Manectric and I struck fear in people. We formed our formidable business every step of the way. I just so happen found a key stone suitable for my Manectric. Didn't take long for me to know the great power of mega evolution!"

Officer Jenny's Manectric snarled at its mega evolved foe. It didn't let some transformation frighten it. In fact, it just made Manectric want to beat Mega Manectric even more.

"We won't let this stop us!" Officer Jenny said with confidence.

"It should. We'll make this a one sided battle. Let's start off with Wild Charge!" Bradshaw commanded. Mega Manectric lunged at Manectric with incredible speed. Before Manectric had a chance to respond, Mega Manectric's jagged body smashed into the discharge pokemon. It flew high up in the air and landed painfully on the floor. It shook its head and slowly stood back up.

"Quick Attack!" Officer Jenny yelled. Manectric swiftly made its way to its foe and prepared to collide with it.

"Dodge and intercept with Electric Flare!" Mega Manectric jumped up in the air in a blink of an eye. A fiery flare of electricity shot out from Mega Manectric's body and striked Manectric. It howled in pain as it took the attack. Officer Jenny gasped when she saw her pokemon struggling to stand back up.

"I know you still have more fight in yourself." Her pokemon got back up and backed away from its opponent. "Charged Beam, maximum power!" Bradshaw smirked.

"Double Team." He ordered. Mega Manectric made multiple duplicates of itself and charged at Manectric. Panicking, Manectric released its attack on one of the duplicates instead of the real one. "Finish this with Parabolic Flash!" Bradshaw barked.

The duplicates began rotating around the Officer Jenny's pokemon with electricity buzzing through its body. It soon created a circle of electricity and they all pounced on the weak discharge pokemon. Officer Jenny fell to her knees at her fallen pokemon.

"Looks like I win," Bradshaw taunted. Mega Manectric recalled its duplicates and stood alone. Officer Jenny tilted her hat down and stared at the floor dejected.

She failed. The plan went awry quick. She let everyone down, more importantly, she let herself down.

"Ivy!" The seed pokemon rushed to the officer's left side with a determined look on his face.

"Nub! Nub!" The pig pokemon hopped tp her right side.

"Ugh, I may not feel so good right now but I still have some fight in me." Meowth stood in front of Officer Jenny while swiping his paws in the air. Officer Jenny smiled graciously.

"Are you all sure?" The three nodded. "Right. Make sure to give it your all!"

Bradshaw stood there unamused. "What's this. Battling with pokemon that aren't yours?"

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is that they'll battle for me," She defended herself.

"Oh why bother? Your puny Manectric didn't stand a chance. Why makes you think these three weaklings can?" Mega Manectric huffed, sparks of electricity still flowing through his body.

"Enough talking." Officer Jenny looked over at the motionless Kuzuki who stood there silently. "This is for all the marbles."

"I'm sure it is." Bradshaw rolled his eyes. "Since I'm so caring why don't you have the first move?"

Officer Jenny smirked, a plan formulating in her mind. "If you insist. Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf on the ceiling! Swinub, you do the same and use Mud Shot!" The two pokemon shot their attacks on the ceiling which cause a massive hole to be created. The sun was still there indicating that night will soon be coming.

"You destroy my roof as your first attack?" Bradshaw rose an eyebrow. "Idiotic. You must not know of my Manectric's abilities, get into battle stance!" Mega Manectric stomped his front paws to the floor. "Rain Dance!"

Mega Manectric howled at the top of his lungs. Thunder boomed from above and rain started pouring heavily. Dark clouds surrounded the sky. Everyone in the room felt the rain bounce off their skin.

"Now we have the advantage! Wild Charge!" Manectric stormed towards the three pokemon. Learning from her previous mistakes, the officer reacted fast.

"Dodge it you guys!" The three sidestepped and Mega Manectric missed his targets.

"Face the wrath of my Fury Swipes pal!" Meowth said, landing on Mega Manectric's head. He winced from the spikes sharpness. Nevertheless, he unleashed his onslaught of Fury Swipes. Mega Manectric seemed to take minimal damage.

"Shake him off!" Bradshaw demanded. The discharge pokemon began shaking himself wildly in an attempt to shake Meowth off.

"Assist Meowth with Leech Seed!" Ivysaur sprouting several seeds from within his bulb. Mega Manectric caught this from the corner of its eye and with one heavy shake, it sent Meowth flying.

"Once more. Wild Charge!" The discharge pokemon gathered more electricity and leapt in the air, avoiding the Leech Seeds. Meowth yelped as he was hit by Mega Manectric's attack. The talking pokemon flew higher as a result of the ferocious blow and hit the wall back first.

"Meowth down…" He muttered. His body skidded down the wall. Officer Jenny cursed under her breath.

"Useless. Let's make this more interesting. Thunder!" Bradshaw bellowed. The discharge pokemon roared furiously to the hole in the roof. It called powerful strikes of lightning from the sky. They struck the floor, creating more holes on the roof until it was gone all together. The lightning hit a few inches from the pokemon, startling them in the process.

"Keep it up Manectric! Use all of your exceeding strength!" Manectric let out an ear piercing roar. Multiple bolts of lightning continued hitting the room.

"What do you think you're doing Bradshaw!? You're going to destroy your own building!"

Bradshaw scoffed. "It'll all be worth it when you go down Jenny!"

"Let's see if you can! Swinub, Mud Shot! Ivysaur, close the distance!" Swinub threw his Mud Shot and aimed it at the face of Mega Manectric. The discharge pokemon's head pushed backwards as it was hit. It was too focused on Ivysaur too see the attack.

"Sleep Powder!" Ivysaur's bulb spewed out a powdery substance that blew itself on Mega Manectric's face. The electric type started feeling woozy, but didn't take the full effects that Sleep Powder was suppose to give.

"Snap out of it you mutt!"

"Quick Ivysaur, try Leech Seed again!" This time around the seeds made its way to its target. The seeds landed in a circle around Mega Manectric. Soon, vines sprouted from underneath, breaking the concrete floor and wrapping around Mega Manectric. This jolted the discharge pokemon's senses.

"Enough!" Bradshaw shouted. "I've just about had it with this nonsense. Get out of there!" Mega Manectric growled and ripped through the vines. "Thunder Wave! Maximum power!" Static started to build around it and it soon pushed forward. The power of the electrical currents swerved through the two pokemon and knocked them back. Mega Manectric grimaced, it damaged itself by using its maximum power.

"Thunderbolt!" The spikes on the back of Mega Manectric unleashed and bolt of lightning and was directed to Swinub.

"Icy Wind! Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf on Manectric!" Swinub sprayed out a gust of wind that collided with the Thunderbolt. The two attacks began pushing each for dominance. Mega Manectric wasn't letting Swinub have it easy. The Razor Leafs bounced off Mega Manectric and it didn't even flinch.

"More power!" Bradshaw yelled. The discharge pokemon put more energy into the lightning bolt. The lightning started pushing forward. Swinub tried to put more force into his Icy Wind but soon ran out of steam. His attack disappeared and the Thunderbolt finally hit Swinub. The pig pokemon jumped up from the jolts of electricity running inside his small body. He soon collapsed with swirls in his eyes.

"Finish this battle with Electric Flare! Use all your power on it!" Bradshaw ordered, to blind with power to realise the consequences of his actions. Mega Manectric gazed at its trainer with hesitation in its eyes. One glare was all it took for the discharge pokemon to follow the command. Mega Manectric put all its energy into the attack. The Rain Dance previously used by Mega Manectric vanished due to it not having the power to function anymore.

"I've been waiting for that too stop," Officer Jenny said to herself. Her plan could now resume. "Ivysaur, I want you to use Solar Beam! Absorb as much of the sun's sunlight as you can before it goes down!" Officer Jenny asserted. Ivysaur looked to see that the sun was in fact about to settle down.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur's bulb opened and absorbed the sunlight particles. It glowed brightly. Ivysaur grunted, putting more effort into the attack so he could gather as much sunlight as he could. Officer Jenny didn't know how much longer he would have lasted storing up sunlight as the sun came down and was replaced by the dim moon. Mega Manectric looked ready too.

"Electric Flare!" Bradshaw shouted.

"Solar Beam!" Officer Jenny yelled. The two attacks connected and was once more a test of strength. Both had disadvantages. Ivysaur could only keep going until the remaining energy conjured up by the sunlight was all gone. Mega Manectric was exhausted from its battles and put all his energy into the attack. Officer Jenny looked worried as the power of Ivysaur's Solar Beam started diminishing a little. Bradshaw saw this and grinned madly.

"Looks like that pokemon will empty out its last amount of power. It's all over. You lose officer!" Bradshaw crossed his arms and yawned.

"Not so fast!" A voice hollered. "This Meowth ain't going down anytime soon!" Meowth, who recovered from the earlier blow lunged at the discharge pokemon. He had an uneasy look on his face. "I'm going to regret this. Feel the power of my Night Slash!" Meowth left paw started to envelope in a violet dark aura. He slashed his opponent violently. Mega Manectric dropped to its knees, the exhaustion plus the damage was taking its toll on it. Meowth fell to the ground, shuddering with an uncomfortable glaze in his eyes.

"Ivysaur!" Ivysaur saw this opportunity to seize his moment. With all his might his Solar Beam pushed ahead rapidly. Mega Manectric's eyes widened when it saw the attack a few inches from its face. Giving one final howl, the discharge pokemon extracted his attack and braced itself. The Solar Beam finally hit the mega evolved pokemon. Its body was engulfed in the powerful rays of sunlight. The whole room shined bright, causing Officer Jenny and Bradshaw to shield their eyes.

"Dammit!" Bradshaw fumed with angry at his fallen pokemon once the atmosphere was visible. Manectric switched back to its original form and lay there on the floor unconscious. Its muscles twitched from putting to much strain in them.

"Ivy…" Ivysaur groaned before he fell on his side. He passed out due to the same reasons as Manectric. Officer Jenny went to the fallen pokemon.

"You did good Ivysaur." Officer Jenny hugged the seed pokemon and stood up. She and Bradshaw had a staredown. "It's over Bradshaw."

Bradshaw clenched his fists. He had a deep scowl on his face. "You damn bitch! Do you have any idea how furious I am!?"

"You can stay furious in jail. You're coming with me."

"Oh no no no. You think just because my pokemon are defeated doesn't mean I'm surrendering." He held his fists up.

"If it's one on one you want then it's a one on one you'll get," Officer Jenny replied.

"Oh it's not me fighting. I'm far too tired from commanding. My new lackey will handle this. Gilbert!" Gilbert rushed to Bradshaw's side, unfazed by the battle a few minutes ago. "Go and teach that Jenny a lesson!"

Gilbert looked confused. "But Mr. Bradshaw sir, I don't know how to fight!" He complained. Bradshaw shoved a pair of brass knuckles in his hands.

"There. Now throw a punch!" Bradshaw barked. Gilbert hesitantly put on the weapon and faced the officer.

"Now Kuzuki, there's no need to do this," Officer Jenny advised the boy. In return, he threw a rather slow punch at her. She dodged it easily. "Stop Kuzuki." He threw another slow punch with the same result. "Don't make me have to do th-" He connected his fist to her face. Officer Jenny winced at the attack. "I warned you. This is for your own good." Officer Jenny blocked his incoming punch and held him in a sleeper hold. Her experience overpowered his inexperience in fighting. She kept him in the fold until she felt his body go limp.

Gently, she placed him on the floor and kissed his forehead. "Don't worry Kuzuki, I'll get you out of this." The officer faced Bradshaw with a determined look.

"So it seems you managed to defeat my minion," Bradshaw deadpanned.

"He is not your minion. He's just a kid with a bright future ahead. He doesn't deserve any of what you're putting him through. You scarred the boy even more Bradshaw," Officer Jenny accused the man.

"Doesn't matter to me. That boy is only useful when it comes to inventing things."

"He's also useful when it comes to freeing your pokemon," Officer Jenny retorted.

"Enough! I can't wait to finish this!" He said as he threw a punch. Officer Jenny ducked a snatched his left arm. She pinned it against his back.

"You were saying?" Officer Jenny remarked. Bradshaw hit her face with the back of his head and escaped his hold. He grabbed the brass knuckles from Kuzuki's fists and attempted another punch. Officer Jenny retaliated by sidestepped out of the way and gave him a blow in the stomach. She then kicked him in the jaw which sent him to the floor. He stood back up and dodged one of her punches by grabbed her arm and giving her another headbutt.

"Up up and away!" He said, grabbing her shoulders and tossing her several feet away. A soft clink bounced off the floor but the two were too busy to hear it. Officer Jenny got back on her feet and raked Bradshaw's eyes. He groaned in pain and was taken off his feet by the officer's sweep kick. Bradshaw kicked both of her legs which made her stumble. She turned to feel Bradshaw give her a right hook to the jaw. Tumbling to the floor, Officer Jenny didn't have time to react to Bradshaw grab ahold of her neck.

"Off with you!" He declared, choking her neck. Officer Jenny gasped for air, struggling to breath. She tried to claw his face but was struck down when he applied more pressure. Officer Jenny's vision went blurry. She could feel herself start to fade from reality with Bradshaw's stupid grin in her mind.

 _'I'm sorry Kuzuki.'_

"Nighty night!" Bradshaw exclaimed, laughing maniacally before his laughter was cut off. He screamed in agony. Officer Jenny could feel his grip loosen on her tremendously. She could also feel his body shaking rapidly. He stopped screaming and fell beside her, his eyes wide open but didn't utter a word. Officer Jenny looked up and saw Kuzuki standing there with something in his hands

It was her taser. Somehow it had fallen during her scuffle with Bradshaw. Gil-Kuzuki dropped the taser and helped Officer Jenny up. She stared at the boy emotionally as he hugged her as soon as she got back up. She could hear him sniffling. Officer Jenny returned the hug gratefully. The officer soon heard the familiar sirens of her police force coming from outside.

"It's okay Kuzuki. Everything is going to be alright now," She comforted the boy. Kuzuki stared up at her with a grateful look and squeezed her tighter. Officer Jenny frowned, whatever Bradshaw did during these days must've pushed the boy passed his limits.

"Heh, always the trickster aren't you boy?" Bradshaw spoke, unable to move due to the effects of the taser. "I'm a real idiot for actually believing the you got brainwashed. Of course you'd find a way to escape it. I see potential in you young lad, potential that'll lead you clueless in a path where you'll figure out what really matters. Power. Strength. To show no mercy. Ah yes, this is the path that I chose and you'll follow in my footsteps, whether you know it or not. It'll happen. Unlike me, I see you going even further. Further than anyone will ever expect. I can see it now. You won't be alone. You and that no good pesky L-" Officer Jenny kicked Bradshaw's left cheek. He stopped talking.

"Don't listen to that man Kuzuki. He speaks nothing but nonsense. You will never be anything like that man." Officer Jenny rubbed Kuzuki's head to reassure him.

"Damn, how long was I out?" The officer turned to see the mysterious man who helped her reach this far start to stir. "That Bradshaw. He'll pay for…" He noticed Bradshaw's unconscious body. "Dammit, looks like I lucked out." The man shook his head in disappointment at the inconvenience. "Congrats officer. You managed to beat that heartless bastard."

"I couldn't have done it without this brave soul, Kuzuki." She patted Kuzuki's head.

The man eyed the boy surprised. "Guess you're right. Kid has guts to pull what most people would fail at. His acting must be great if he convinced Bradshaw to buy that 'I'm your loyal trainee' act." He responded, sounding impressed.

"You faked that, huh? I admit, I was so worried that the real Kuzuki was gone and replaced by Gilbert. Out of all the names why that?" She scoffed. "That punch was something though." She chuckled at Kuzuki's frightened expression. "Don't worry, it was nothing really. When you train to become an officer you learn how to take a punch. With or without those brass knuckles."

"Wow, I must've missed one hell of a show," The man snorted as he walked to Bradshaw's body. He snatched something and then went over to Manectric to do the same. "Such feat should be rewarded." He went towards the two and presented the items to Kuzuki. Kuzuki let go of the officer to inspect the items. His eyes sparkled at the two items needed for Mega Evolution. "Bradshaw won't be needing this anymore and I don't necessarily need this particular stone." He handed the key stone and mega stone to the boy. Kuzuki grabbed them and examined it closer.

Kuzuki had a smile on his face and presented it to the officer. She gasped, shocked at the action.

"You want me to have this? Don't you want to obtain Mega Evolution for yourself?" She asked the boy.

He spoke softly. "I want you to have it. So you and Manectric can use it and help everyone when they are in trouble easier. I don't have a Manectric so I won't be able to use it." Kuzuki passed the stones over to the officer who held it proudly.

"I'll promise you that I'll do just that," She answered. Officer Jenny headed to her own Manectric. He was finally awake but didn't move an inch, most likely because of the pain still prominent. She crouched and rubbed Manectric's back. "You hear that bud? We'll be even more stronger and help more people." The discharge pokemon smiled weakly.

"Such a kind act young man. You truly are something." The man sauntered to the table full of equipment. "Now it's time to finish what I started." He began pushing buttons on each of the computers.

Kuzuki headed to his own pokemon. Swinub was still out cold while Ivysaur had his eyes opened. He let out a happy groan from seeing his trainer back to normal.

"Meowth is still here!" Meowth acknowledged to everyone. "Never count me out!"

Officer had a question for the talking pokemon. "I guess you're right. Without you we wouldn't have been able to overpower Mega Manectric. Although, why did using Night Slash-"

"Don't even mention it," Meowth squeaked. "I know Night Slash but I'm terrified at the thought of using it. When I did my mind sort of blanked out. I will never do that again. It's one of the worst feeling I've experienced!" Meowth blurted out before he went to check on his fellow Team Rocket members.

"Ugh..my head." Jessie muttered.

"Are we still alive?" James asked.

"Yep! All thanks to my brilliant skills." Jessie and James sat up and exchanged looks. Before they said anything the sound of pokemon rebounded across the room.

"That should do it!" The man called out. The happy cheers of pokemon made Kuzuki smile.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur chirped. Kuzuki turned around and saw his Nidoran, Dartrix, and Blastoise standing there. The boy quickly rushed to them and they all got into a group hug.

"Pumpkaboo! Wobbuffet!" Jessie beamed at seeing her two pokemon come to her. James searched around the crowd of pokemon.

"Where's Malamar?" James asked nervously. He yelped as he felt himself float in the air.

"Malamar! Maaaa!" The overturning pokemon screeched. Malamar crushed James in a bear hug.

"Ah! Not too hard Malamar! I'm still sore from that Bradshaw!" James cried. _(A/N: God that sounds so wrong..)_ Malamar ignored his trainer and continue to squeeze him happily.

Officer Jenny smiled at the display of pokemon reuniting with their trainer. Just then, the door slammed wide open and a couple dozen smugglers barged in the room.

"Quick fellas! Get the pokemon and let's bounce out of here before the popo find us!" One of them commanded. They all murmured in agreement before their eyes fell on the recently freed pokemon. They all glared at the smugglers with hatred.

"Every smuggler for himself!" Someone yelled. They all scattered across the room but were halted by a group of pokemon wherever they went. Gyarados hopped from its tank and roared at the smugglers.

"Karma, huh?" Kuzuki said to the officer. Officer Jenny nodded.

"What goes around comes around." Officer Jenny scanned the room and found that the three band of misfits were nowhere in sight. Officer Jenny hated to admit it but she was going to miss Meowth and their conversations. She also realised that the mystery man somehow left the room without them noticing. She didn't pay too much in mind, after all, he played a big part in helping. He was the one to help Kuzuki, instruct her on infiltrating the building, and freeing the pokemon.

"Thank you, whoever you are."

 ** _At the back of the building..._**

The man left the building. He had to get out of their and find his five acquaintances. He was relieved to see them waiting outside for him, not being caught by the officers.

"You finally did it, huh?" A pink haired lady spoke first.

"Didn't know you had the cunning ability to pull it off," A green haired woman said.

"Looks like we were right to trust you. And we all thought you were crazy when you told us that we were escaping the uncouth place," A large man added.

"You should all of more faith in me." The man crossed his arms. "I'm sure you know why I picked you five to join me."

"Yeah, we are the smartest in Bradshaw's pathetic business," A purple haired women answered.

"That's right. Come, we shall move forward and settle in a place that we can gather our ideas." They all nodded and marched to wherever the wind took them.

 ** _At the other side of the building..._**

"That's the last of them." Officer Jenny informed her co-workers. They arrested every pokemon smuggler. Officer Jenny took the liberty too handcuff Bradshaw and shoved him in one of the police cars. She never felt more prouder in her life. Although, she wouldn't be the one to drive Bradshaw to the Police Station. She decided to give someone a ride.

"You ready kiddo?" She asked Kuzuki. He nodded eagerly with his Ivysaur following behind. His other pokemon were relaxing in their pokeballs. It was then did she notice another two pokemon behind him.

"I hope you don't mind but I promised this Pancham that I'd bring its friends back to the bamboo forest." He grinned innocently. Pangoro and Pancham mimicked him. Pangoro had reverted to its usual self after Kuzuki magically found a bamboo sprig in one of the cages. Call it fate or laziness if you will.

"Anything for you Kuzuki. Although, I don't know how you all will fit on my motorcycle."

"I can think of a way."

 ** _Later..._**

"Goodbye Pangoro! See you Panchams!" Kuzuki waved to the three pokemon. It had taken them all night to return to the forest. There they found the lonely Pancham trying to fall asleep. It kept tossing and turning. Kuzuki's face brightened as the Pangoro and Pancham surprised the other Pancham. It thanked Kuzuki by giving him a hug. Its friends followed and Kuzuki groaned in pain. He still had not recovered from the damage during the past six days.

"Yeah, later," Officer Jenny grumbled. Kuzuki's idea was to let Pangoro sit on the side car. Needless to say Pangoro made the seat bigger than it already was. Kuzuki, Ivysaur, and Pancham sat on its shoulders laughing merrily during the trip. She let it slide, anything to make Kuzuki happy. Dawn illuminated the sky above. Kuzuki got back into the side car with Ivysaur sitting next to him.

"Where to now?" Officer Jenny asked him. Kuzuki placed his hand on his chin, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Ash and I were on our way to Cyllage City before all this happened. Hopefully, he'll be there by the time we arrive. If not then I'll earn my gym badge and head to Laverre City for the Fairy Badge!" Kuzuki exclaimed with excitement.

Officer Jenny laughed. "I sure do hope we find your group of friends. I promised that little girl that I'd bring you to them. Something about promising her that you'd travel with them." Kuzuki gasped.

"Oh man, I completely forgot about that!" Kuzuki suddenly arched his head back in pain.

"What's wrong?" She asked immediately

"I got this killer headache. I think all this remembering is messing with my head." He then went on to explain how Bradshaw used his own invention to try to erase his memories and how he almost succeeded too.

"So your mind is still fragile. And you're saying that it'll go back to normal after a while?" Kuzuki nodded. "Alright, just take it easy and rest. Wouldn't want you completely forgetting something important."

She drove to the direction to Cyllage City for a few hours. The sun rised meaning that it was now early morning. Officer Jenny hummed in the peaceful silence until her radio starting beeping. She answered it.

"Officer Jenny of Santalune City. What's the emergency?" She only heard a static coming from the other line. "Hello? I can't tell if you're trying to say something." Officer Jenny still only got the uncomfortable sound of static. It suddenly went away and was replaced with the sound of numbers.

"...Twenty six west." She finished writing down the numbers that turned out to be coordinates. Officer Jenny grabbed out her PokéNav and typed in the coordinates. The location popped out that left her speechless.

"The Radio Observatory!?" She gawked at her device. "There's hardly anyone ever there! But I have to check regardless of my claims. Someone may be in danger!" Officer Jenny accelerated to the location fast.

 ** _An hour later..._**

"This is the place." Officer Jenny eyed the Radio Observatory. "It looks worn down, no reason for anyone to come here." Officer Jenny observed the cracks and moss forming on the walls. The officer parked right next to the said wall and exited her vehicle. "There's the entrance. You sure you aren't coming?" She questioned the boy.

Kuzuki shook his head. "I've had enough adventure for this week. I don't see myself wanting to jump into possible trouble. I just want nothing crazy happening for a few weeks tops. I'll stay here with Ivysaur. We'll be waiting for you!"

"Ivy!" Ivysaur agreed. Officer Jenny understood his reasoning. He was scared. Scared that something awful might happen after the whole troubling experience with the smugglers. She didn't want him to feel more insecure.

"I'll see you in a few minutes after I handle this situation," Officer Jenny told Kuzuki. She started walking to the entrance and went in. Kuzuki waited patiently and resorted to playing with Ivysaur in the meantime. They had a lot of making up the time they lost separated with each other. Minutes soon turned to hours and Kuzuki grew concerned for the officer.

"Do you think she's alright Ivysaur?" He asked the seed pokemon. He gave a shrug in response. "As much as I hate saying this, we should go and see what's up." Ivysaur agreed with his trainer and they both got off the motorcycle. Slowly, Kuzuki headed inside and was enveloped by darkness.

"It sure is dark in here," He muttered and walked forward. The door suddenly slammed shut and caused Kuzuki to jump. "Ah!" He shrieked and started running to a random direction out of fear. Ivysaur chased after his trainer to try and calm him down. Looking behind him to check what it was while running, Kuzuki soon crashed into something and fell to the floor. Ivysaur stood beside him but soon started to tremble.

"Hello?" His voice echoed. He couldn't see what he bumped into. In an instant, a pair of beady yellow eyes opened and stared at him. Kuzuki cowered in fear by the intimidating look.

 _"Maaaa. Malamar."_

 ** _Author's Note: Chapter Nine has met its completion. I still haven't figured out the chapter alert issue so bear with me for a little longer. Remember when I said that this would be a short chapter? Me neither. This actually turned out to be my longest chapter, beating Chapter Seven. Also, I want to mention that this story hit a thousand views the other day so thanks to everyone who checked my story out. This chapter concludes the end of the Pokémon Smuggler Arc. Now the story will flow towards the anime episodes as you can already tell. Kuzuki just can't catch a break, can he? Stay tuned for Chapter 10: How I Met Your Malamar!_**


	10. How I Met Your Malamar

_Chapter 10: How I Met Your Malamar_

The Team Rocket Trio were previously trying to track down Ash and his friends until they realised something important.

"Cripes! We have no idea where they even are!" Meowth pointed out. It was true, it's only been three days removed from the whole Bradshaw incident. Since then, they completely lost track as to where Pikachu and the twerps were.

"Okay, let's think," Jessie suggested. "We last saw them at the wretched bamboo forest."

"Yes. And we haven't followed their movement since." James nodded.

A light bulb appeared at the top of Meowth's head. "Oh I know! The twerp was talking about going to get a gym badge. The day I had to follow 'em at the pokemon center."

"A gym badge? Of course!" James said.

"I say, the closest gym from here would have to be at Cyllage City," Jessie informed them. "Hopefully, we haven't been out for long."

Meowth waved her off. "Nothing to worry about. We all should know by now how long that twerp takes traveling," He reminded the two.

"Right! Onwards!" James exclaimed as he started sprinting to a random location. By fate, it turned out to be the right direction to the gym. Meowth and Jessie chased after him.

"Wait for us!" Meowth cried out. They all ran for half an hour until they all collapsed in exhaustion.

"Maybe it wasn't a good idea to run that far so fast," James groaned.

"Ya think?" Meowth panted. "It's been seventy two hours since we came together again. You two may have forgotten what Team Rocket is all about," Meowth accused them with a glare.

Jessie gasped. "Us!? What about you!"

"What about me, huh?"

"We both know that you aren't that clever when it comes to plans. As of late it seems like you've lost your touch."

"Don't forget who saved you," Meowth remarked.

"That Jenny saved us," Jessie retorted. "All you did was piggyback on her plan." She crossed her arms and turned her back to Meowth.

"Why you!" Meowth leapt to Jessie with his claws out.

"Stop that you Meowth," James scolded. Meowth huffed and hopped to the ground. "Now I'm sure we all messed up together."

"That much I'll admit," Jessie admitted. "It seems that we should remind ourselves what being a Team Rocket member is all about."

"That's easy!" Meowth grinned. "We capture strong pokemon for the boss man. That way, Team Rocket can grow stronger than anyone could ever imagine!"

James nodded. "Yes. We also get to collect these neat bottle caps along the way " James held a rusty bottle cap with a shiny blue star in the middle. "I heard legends about this certain type of bottle cap. There are only one hundred in existence. It comes from a drink called Sunset Sarsaparilla. It's very rare indeed. But beware, collecting too many of these is very dangerous. Many people want these for themselves. Collecting fifty of these grant you a special prize. Oh how I would love to g-" James stopped as he was smacked on the head by Jessie.

"Where are you going with this?!" She said with annoyance. "Bottle caps are not in our top priorities.

"But it's m-"

"End of discussion!" She responded loudly. "Now then, Team Rocket shows no mercy. When we want something we take it! That includes a certain electric type…" Jessie trailed off, hoping that they'll catch on.

James blinked. "Manectric? I do say, that Jenny's Manectric sure is-"

"Pikachu!" Now it was Meowth's turn to hit him. "She means Pikachu! I'm starting to wonder if all those hits to your head messed up your memory!"

James snapped his fingers. "Ah yes, Pikachu! I know just the perfect thing to remind us. Follow me!" James began running to another random direction with his arms in the air. Not even ten seconds later did he collapse on the floor again.

Jessie and Meowth exchange looks and went towards James. James gasped for air, exhausted from running already. "You dolt. That's not the proper way to run." Jessie rolled her eyes.

James looked crestfallen. "But it was suppose to make me run faster," James whined.

Meowth shook his head. "It made you tired faster if it makes you feel better." James glared at the talking pokemon. "We're all pooped, let's just walk."

"No, I got a better idea." James took out his pokeball. "Come on out Malamar!"

"Malamar," The overturning pokemon greeted his trainer.

"I still can't get over the fact that Malamar gives me the chills whenever I look at him," Meowth commented. "Perfect. We'll appear more intimidating!" Meowth smirked.

James stared at his evolved pokemon. "Yes, Malamar does look greatly different then he was as Inkay. But that only makes him stronger!" He declared. "Here, I'll show you two. Malamar, use your Physic on us," He commanded. Malamar started floating in the air. A blue aura surrounded the three Team Rocket members and they were lifted to the sky too. "Now, where to go…" James pondered, ignoring his teammates cries. "..Oh! There's the perfect spot. Onwards Malamar!"

"Maaaa…" Malamar floated across the sky with the Team Rocket trio. James stood perfectly still next to Malamar, giving him a few pats to the back. James was proud at the type of power his pokemon held. Meanwhile, Jessie and Meowth held on to each other, clearly not liking this new mode of transportation. Being on a hot air balloon was one thing, but floating in the air was another.

"Let us down James! What if we fall to our doom!" Jessie pleaded.

"Silence Jess! Malamar is demonstrating his new found powers and I'm observing its potential." Jessie was shocked to hear James talk back to her but she was too frightened from flying to say anything back.

A few minutes later, the four landed on the ground peacefully. "Nice work Malamar. Sure does beat walking and the occasional hot air balloon rides." Malamar beamed brightly at James' praise. "Come, that cave has just the right amount of glamour to it," James said, examining its shiny outside features. Both trainer and pokemon went in.

"James, I'm so going to hurt you!" Jessie growled after she and Meowth were done kissing the ground. "Huh? Where'd you go?" She catched the last splitting images of James right boot going in the cave. "Don't you run away from me!" She chased after him.

Meowth sighed. "Ay, just like good 'ol times. Things have been pretty tame since we escaped from Bradshaw. Though, it was rude leaving that twerp behind without giving him a my thanks." Meowth clicked his tongue. "Ugh, look at me getting all soft. I'll just tell him what I have to say and we'll go back to being foes once more." Meowth smiled, liking his plan. He quickly rushed inside the cave.

It was dark but not too dark that he couldn't see a thing. Meowth kept walking until he saw a faint light up ahead.

"Maaaa…" Meowth swiftly turned around at the noise.

"Is that you Malamar?" He asked, his voice echoing due to the cave walls. Instead, he was met with silence. Meowth shrugged, assuming that James' Malamar fell behind. He continued walking forward, not waiting for Malamar to catch up.

"I'm telling you Jess, this will remind us of what is really is important," James' voice said. Meowth finally came across his team. James was still arguing with Jessie. Wobbuffet came out of his pokeball and joined Jessie's side. The patient pokemon looked on curiously. Much to Meowth's surprise, Malamar was by James' side.

"Wasn't he right behind me?" Meowth asked himself. He would've noticed if the overturning pokemon got in front of him. By fate, Malamar turned to Meowth and offered a smile before facing his trainer. Meowth pondered about the situation for a moment until he shook it off. It might've just been Malamar's echo that he heard.

"As you can see." James placed his device on a rock. The device showed a video of Pikachu. "This right here shows us what type of power that Pikachu has."

Meowth scratched his chin. "When did you take this video?" Meowth asked. James ignored him and began explaining all of Pikachu's qualities.

Clips of their battles with Pikachu were shown. "For a pokemon not at its final evolution form, Pikachu is very strong. Maybe even stronger than a wild Gyarados," James stated. Jessie couldn't help but agree with his statement. Pikachu then showed his powerful moves. "Thunderbolt, Electro Ball, Quick Attack, and don't forget Iron Tail. All great moves. Without a doubt, that Pikachu needs to be ours."

"Yes," Jessie agreed. "But first we need to make our job easier by separating Pikachu from that pesky twerp." Next, Kuzuki was shown with his Ivysaur. "That boy will also be with that twerp. That Ivysaur isn't mandatory in our mission. Though, it would be nice addition to Team Rocket."

Meowth hesitated. "We should just focus on Pikachu for now. Ivysaur and Kuzuki did save us after all. I say we give it a while for him to recover before we start to think about swiping his pokemon." Surprisingly, Jessie and James agreed. The memories of hearing his painful screams still roamed their mind. They weren't that cruel like Bradshaw. "Prying Pikachu and that twerp is going to be tough. Those two are stuck like glue," Meowth continued.

Just then, a voice started laughing from behind them. "I couldn't help overhearing you. That Pikachu will be a useful acquisition indeed." The voice was feminine, the hooded clothing covered all of the strangers body but the bottom half of her face. A Malamar slowly crept next to her.

"I knew it," Meowth whispered to himself. There was another Malamar.

"Yes and you all will assist us in doing so." Another voice spoke. This person was also covered in a cloak. Their whole face was covered unlike the other figure. The mystery person sat on the shoulder of their Blastoise. Meowth noticed that the Blastoise looked off.

"Eavesdropping is bad manners. Who are you two?" Jessie asked.

"They call me Madam X," The taller hooded figure replied. "And this is Malamar." James turned to check on his own Malamar but was shocked to see him gone. "My partner here goes by the name of Lord Y," Madam X introduced her accomplice who didn't utter a single word. Lord Y snapped his fingers and pointed at the Team Rocket trio and Wobbuffet. His cloak still covering his arms.

"Malamar…" A bright light illuminated from Malamar's body.

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

Ash and his friends continued their journey to Cyllage City. They left Camphrier Town yesterday in a good mood.

 **Flashback**

 _"What a relief." Ash watched as Snorlax woke up. Ash and his friends were tasked to finding the Poké Flute, an instrument used to wake up Snorlax. They were to retrieve it from Princess Allie. Clemont recalled Officer Jenny mentioning her and true to the officer's word, Princess Allie was exactly what she described her to be. When they finally got the Poké Flute from her, Ash gave it to Lord Shabboneau so he could play it. The rest is history from there._

 _Although, there was still one problem that's been bugging Ash since they arrived to the town. "Hey Lord Shabboneau, do you mind if I ask you something?"_

 _Lord Shabboneau raised an eyebrow. "I don't see why not."_

 _"Right, so there's this Officer Jenny that came around this area to find my friend, Kuzuki. Do you have any idea what happened?" Ash asked._

 _"If I may sir," Lord Shabboneau's butler said._

 _"You may," He replied._

 _The elder man faced the four. "To answer your question yes, there was an Officer Jenny that came by here a few days ago. She was accompanied by a Manectric, Swinub, Ivysaur, and a Meowth."_

 _Ash grinned happily. "Yeah! That's her!" He responded eagerly._

 _"Miss Jenny came in and told me she was here to check up on the town. After that she left," He informed the four. Ash frowned deeply. "Don't look so glum young lad, I wasn't finished," The elder man added with a twinkle in his eye. "Soon afterwards, a group of officers came and told our town that there was a disturbance not too far from here that was dealt with. When I asked them what transpired they informed me that there was a pokemon smuggling business near here and that one Officer Jenny managed to beat the ring leader. She left the area with a boy, an Ivysaur, a Pancham, and a Pangoro," He finished. The elder man was pleased with the happy expressions of the four children._

 _"Yes! Kuzuki's alright!" Ash exclaimed._

 _"The bad pokemon smugglers were defeated by Kuzuki and Officer Jenny!" Bonnie cheered._

 _"Don't forget about Pancham and Pangoro. I have a hunch that they went back to return the two to its home at the bamboo forest. I'm impressed that Kuzuki remembered to bring them back to that lonely Pancham," Clemont chimed in. All of their moods increased tremendously._

 _While her three friends celebrated, Serena stared up to the sunset sky. She'd never admit it but there was a wide smile on her face._

 **End of Flashback**

Ash smiled, the relief of knowing that Kuzuki was okay made his worry wash away. Now he could enjoy his journey.

"Let's see. In order to get to the pokemon center, we have to pass through these forests," Serena mentioned to everyone. Ash nodded. After their talk about Kuzuki, he noticed that she never made a unnecessary remark whenever Kuzuki's name was said. But that didn't mean much since she didn't say anything instead. Ash wasn't sure what her thoughts about his friend are now. He was sure that they aren't as terrible as they were before.

"Wow. What's that?" Ash marveled at the sight. There was a line of what appeared to be three huge satellites.

"Oh that?" Clemont said, as if it was the most obvious question. "That's a Radio Observatory. It's a facility used to receive radio waves all the way from outer space. Then, it automatically analyzes those waves, utilizing the latest state of the art, high tech equipment," Clemont answered with pride.

Ash had a question mark on top of his head. He turned to Clemont with an innocent smile. "I have no idea what you're talking about but it sounds awesome." Before Clemont had a chance to reply, a nearby bush rustled, catching their attention.

To their shock, a dazed Meowth came out of the bush, staggering to stand. "Hey you lugs! Help me!" Meowth landed to the floor with a look of defeat on his face.

Ash gasped. "Oh no, not again! Meowth, what happened?" Ash pulled Meowth closer to him but didn't get an answer. Clemont examined the scratch marks on Meowth's face.

"Meowth's hurt!" Clemont pointed out. "He needs first aid. Bonnie, quick!" Luckily, Clemont was prepared. Ever since the same thing happened last week, Clemont made sure to carry medical supplies if a situation like this happened again.

Bonnie handed him one of his healing potions. Clemont took it and began pouring it gently into Meowth's mouth. After he was done, Clemont started to put his stuff back into his backpack.

"What do you think Meowth's here for?" Ash wondered out loud.

"It's weird. I expected Meowth to be here with..." Serena stopped as soon as she saw another pokemon emerge from the bushes. It was much bigger than Meowth.

"Woah! Who's that pokemon?" Ash scanned the unfamiliar pokemon with his Pokédex.

"Malamar, the overturning pokemon, and the evolved form of Inkay…" Ash put his Pokédex away as soon as Meowth stirred awake. Malamar stood to the side, not moving from his position. Serena stared at Malamar waringly. It's presence nerved her.

Meowth opened his eyelids. His vision was filled with several blurry figures. "Wassup…" Was his only answer. He then realised who he stumbled across with. "It's a bunch of twerps!" Meowth grew alarmed and attempted to stand back up.

"No. You got to rest. Stay down and take it easy," Clemont advised him. Meowth was about to fall to the ground until he felt something catch him.

"Malamar?" Meowth's voice was hoarse. The overturning pokemon looked at Meowth with concern.

"Here, take this." Clemont offered him a canister of water. Meowth leapt from Malamar's grasp and nabbed the water. He drank it down graciously.

"That hits the spot. You lugs saved my life. I owe you one." Meowth frowned as those words left his mouth. "And I still kind of owe Kuzuki for saving my life too." Meowth scanned his surroundings. "Now that I mention it, where is he anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked worriedly.

"Kuzuki is with Officer Jenny. That's what the people of Camphrier Town told us," Ash responded.

"We were all saved a few days ago. He should've been back with you twerps since," Meowth answered.

"Ash…" Serena said nervously.

"There's nothing to worry about," Ash assured everyone. "Kuzuki could've gone to Cyllage City with Officer Jenny's aid. Nothing to worry about." Ash hoped he was right.

"I think Meowth's tricking us again," Bonnie accused with a glare.

"You got it all wrong. We came all the way here to warn you guys that you're all in danger!" Meowth exclaimed. Everyone stared at Meowth, stunned by the sudden revelation.

"Danger? What are you talking about?" Clemont questioned.

"Yeah I want to hear more. Also, who's your friend." Ash pointed to Malamar.

"That's James' Malamar. He evolved from Inkay during the battle at the bamboo forest." Ash cringed at the reminder of the battle aftermath.

"So James' pokemon evolved."

"That's not important right now!" Meowth snapped at Ash. "Just thinking about the whole things gives me the chills. It was like the worst nightmare anybody could have." Meowth shuddered, his eyes wide open like plates.

"Malamar," The overturning pokemon comforted Meowth.

"Thanks Malamar. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have been able to escape from that cave. I'm glad that you aren't like that other Malamar."

Ash blinked. Are you going to tell us or what?"

"Right! So there we were…"

 _ **Earlier...**_

"From this point on, you are all our servants. You will obey all of our commands!" Madam X declared. Malamar's beam of light put Jessie and James into a confused trance before they shook it off.

Jessie narrowed her eyes at the mysterious woman. "I don't know you think you are but we don't take orders from big pushy mouths!" Jessie shouted, her blood boiling with rage.

"There's only one boss who's our boss and that the one and only boss!" Meowth added.

James kept looking for his missing pokemon. "Malamar? Where are you?" Jessie decided that she'd make the first move.

"Pumpkaboo, Shadow Ball!" Jessie commanded, tossing her pokeball. Pumpkaboo was ready to conjure its attack until Malamar's Hypnosis settled in. Pumpkaboo's eyes glazed as its eyes drowned into the bright light.

"What are you waiting for? Attack that fool!" Jessie repeated her command. Pumpkaboo ignored her.

Madame X scoffed. "Forget it. That Pumpkaboo won't attack my Malamar. And it won't attack us, Madame X and Lord Y, either!" Malamar chuckled and used its Hypnosis once more. This time it worked. Jessie and James were too distracted by Pumpkaboo to see it coming. Wobbuffet, ever being the clueless one, stared at the Hypnosis because its light intrigued him.

Meowth watched as his teammates were hypnotized. Panic soon builded in and Meowth saw only one way out. Being innovative, Meowth used his Fury Swipes on himself. Madame X and Malamar were surprised at this.

"Inflicting pain on yourself to maintain control over your mind is quite clever," She said. "Grab it."

Meowth yelped as he saw everyone turn to him. "No fight it. Snap out of it! You got to wake up, quick!" Meowth gritted his teeth when his words had no affect on his teammates. "Forget it. I'm out of here." Meowth felt himself be carried away by an unknown figure. He turned back to the cloaked figures and saw that the Blastoise attempted to use Hydro Pump.

"Malamar…" The overturning pokemon shot out a Psybeam to their foes direction and flew away with Meowth in his grasp.

 _ **Present...**_

"So I ran and ran as fast as I could. I never thought I'd get away from someone so creepy and crazy not counting that Bradshaw man." Malamar heard a noise coming from behind. Turning around he saw Jessie, James, and Wobbuffet walking towards them aimlessly. Malamar was delighted to see his trainer until a quick reminder from his eyes reminded the overturning pokemon that this wasn't fully James.

"Malamar!" Malamar alerted everyone of Team Rocket.

"Meowth, what're you doing here?" Jessie said with a monotone voice. "You better hurry up and capture Pikachu." Meowth gasped at seeing his hypnotized pals.

"So you are trying to steal Pikachu!" Clemont blurted out angrily.

"No! You got it all wrong," Meowth defended himself. "They're being controlled. Look at their dopey eyes." Meowth then heard a soft thud from behind. He squeaked when he saw who it was.

"It's Madame X and Lord Y!" Meowth shrieked. Madame X stood by Malamar while Lord Y was still on Blastoise's shoulder.

"What kind of name is X and Y?" Serena questioned before everyone looked at her, dumbfounded. That included the hypnotized victims, Madame X, and Lord Y. "Oh right, sorry. Carry on," Serena apologised. Everyone reverted back to glaring at one another.

"So that's the famous Pikachu," Madame X acknowledged Pikachu's presence. "A strong looking pokemon indeed. I'll make you my servant right here and now. Malamar!" Malamar understood Madame X's order and started to use his Hypnosis.

"Malamar…" Malamar laughed grimly seeing his foes at their weakest.

"Keep your eyes off that light. It'll grab and bite your brains," Meowth instructed. Malamar, sensing the immediate danger, stood in front of Meowth and the others. The overturning pokemon used a Hypnosis of his own.

"Malamar!" Madame X's Malamar stopped his attack and fired a Psybeam at his own kind. Malamar avoided the attack and the two had a staredown.

"Pikachu, quick, use Electro Ball!" Ash took this opportunity to strike. Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder and fired an Electro Ball from his tail. Lord Y pointed a finger at the electric type.

"Blast!" Lord Y didn't move an inch as Blastoise's Hydro Pump spilled out from his water cannons. The array of water merely a few few inches from where Lord Y sat. The Electro Ball disappeared along with the water.

"Let's scram while scramming is good!" Meowth cried. They ran until Jessie and James blocked their path.

"Leaving so soon?" Jessie grunted. "Pikachu will become an excellent member of our Pokémon Patrol."

"Pokémon Patrol!?" Ash repeated, confused with the term.

"Unstoppable," James started. "And destined to take over the world. Our beloved Madame X will be on the throne to rule it all with Lord Y by her side," James explained their plans.

Meowth ran up to his hypnotized pals. "Using Pikachu to take over the world is just plain nuts!" Meowth thought about what he said. Malamar took this distraction to grab Pikachu away with his physic powers.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried for help as he was lifted to the air.

"Now Malamar's using his physic!" Clemont called out. Ash watched helplessly as his beloved partner was taken away.

"Farewell fools!" Madame X taunted, laughing as they started floating away. Lord Y snorted at his opponents idiocy as him and his Blastoise were also floating away.

"Pikachu! Stop!" Ash hollered. "The first time we saw Team Rocket in a while and they do this."

"Hey, this is Madame X's doing!" Meowth reminded him.

"We got to do something!" Bonnie insisted.

"Madame X and Lord Y must have a secret hideout." Clemont chuckled as he adjusted his glasses. A bright light shined from his lens, earning a moan of pain by Meowth. "The future is now! Thanks to sci-woah!" Clemont sputtered as he felt himself floating in the air. Soon, everyone was up in the air. Malamar used his physic on them!

"Malamar!" The overturning pokemon had a determined look on his face. He zoomed to the direction where the other Malamar went with everyone in tow. Much like before, Clemont and Serena were frightened when they started flying without a choice, similar to Jessie and Meowth. Meowth was too blinded by the random beam of light to care about the situation.

"Woohoo!" Bonnie cheered. She was grateful that Malamar was taking them to Pikachu and that they were flying to get there. Dedenne squeaked happily too.

"Alright! We'll get to Pikachu faster this way!" Ash shouted delightfully. Malamar smirked when he saw seven figures up ahead. He had finally caught up to the enemies. "There's Pikachu!" Ash yelled loudly. This caused Madame X to discover them.

"Won't leave us alone, huh? That can be taken care of. Lord Y!" Lord Y nodded and hopped off his Blastoise. Madame X's Malamar continued to keep them in the air.

"Blastoise!" The shellfish pokemon flew to them and withdrew from its shell. The shell started spinning rapidly towards them.

"Blastoise is using Rapid Spin! Lookout!" Clemont warned everyone. Still not being use to floating, everyone stiffly got out of the way. As a result, they landed on the ground. Malamar glared at the retreating Blastoise and floated down to check on the others.

"Ugh, my head," Clemont groaned.

"That was so cool!" Bonnie chirped, bouncing to her feet. "Can we do that again?" Bonnie asked excitingly.

Clemont shook his head rapidly. "No!"

"Maybe we shouldn't," Serena added, rubbing her head.

"As much as I would love to, I don't think it's such a good idea anymore." Ash clutched his stomach painfully from the botched fall. Malamar swooped down from above and checked on their well-being. "We're alright," Ash assured the overturning pokemon.

"Geez. And I thought I had it bad," Meowth finished rubbing his eyes that just recovered. He observed the direction where Madame X and Lord Y escaped. "They shouldn't have gone too far ahead. I see a nifty place right up ahead!"

Clemont seemed surprised. "That's the Radio Observatory that we saw before."

Ash eyed the area. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's keep on moving." With that, the group headed towards the Radio Observatory.

Ash decided to make small talk. "So Meowth...how's it hanging?"

"Fine," Meowth grumbled, not wanting to talk to the twerp.

Ash being Ash, ignored his tone and took his answer kindly. "Fine, huh? Well if you ask me…"

"I wasn't asking."

"...I'm doing pretty fine myself. Well, once we get Pikachu back and meet back up with Kuzuki." Ash didn't stop when Meowth interrupted him.

"Sure."

"Then we'll go and get our Cliff Badge at the Cyllage City gym."

"Yep."

"After that is...well actually I don't know. Hey Clemont, what's the next gym after Cyllage City?"

"That would be Shalour City. The gym leader presents you the Rumble Badge, " Clemont answered.

"Right, then our next stop is Shalour City. Though, I think Kuzuki already has that badge. Maybe he'll leave for his next badge in another city. That'd be a shame since we didn't have much time together with all the pokemon smuggler mumbo jumbo."

"Precise." Meowth grew agitated.

"We'll have to see each other again during the Pokémon League. That'll take a while but at least I might get the chance to have a rematch against Ku-"

Meowth snapped. "Alright twerp, I didn't ask for your whole life story, now did I!?" Ash flinched by the tone of his voice.

"I guess you didn't. I got a little carried away there. Sorry," Ash apologised. Meowth sneered and walked faster to catch up with Malamar.

"You know Ash," Serena said shyly. "You could always tell me."

"Nah! I'm good!" Ash piped nonchalantly. Serena sighed and hung her head down low.

Meanwhile, Meowth sparked a conversation with Malamar. "The twerp is so annoying I tell ya. I'm glad I managed to escape."

"Malamar?"

"Eh!? No this is my normal walk. I'm not trying to act goofy." Malamar chuckled at Meowth's annoyance. Meowth then let out a loud sneeze. Angrily, he turned to the four twerps.

"Alright, which one of you twerps are talking bad about me?!" Meowth demanded.

"It wasn't us!" Ash replied with his hands up. "Hey, we made it!" Ash ran towards the steel gate that surrounded the Radio Observatory. "Here's an opening." Ash started crawling through a hole at the bottom of the gate, not waiting for anyone to catch up.

"Wait for us Ash!" Clemont called from afar. Soon, everyone made it across the gate minus Malamar. He levitated himself over the gate. Clemont began observing the area.

"Hmmm." Clemont had his hand on his chin. "Hey guys!" He got everyone's attention. "Isn't that Officer Jenny's motorcycle?" Everyone turned to see the motorcycle parked next to the building.

"You're right. You don't think…" Bonnie trailed off when she thought about what Meowth said earlier when he mentioned Kuzuki not being with them.

"I'm sure it's a different Officer Jenny. I mean, what're the odds," Ash said with a hint of nervousness.

Clemont turned serious. "I don't know. Didn't Lord Shabboneau's butler say that Officer Jenny plus Kuzuki left with Pancham and Pangoro? I'm sure that that side car to the motorcycle there is stretched out more than it should be. I mean, fitting a Pangoro there would do that to a side car," Clemont rationalized the situation.

Ash looked like he was about to say something but instead decided to sprint towards the building. He barged through the doors and entered.

"Stop Ash! Wait for us!" Ash ignored them and started searching the entrance. The whole building was dark. The furniture was all worn down along with the sanitary condition of the building. Ash kept walking and found himself in the middle of two hallways.

"Which way should I go?" Ash asked himself. He heard the footsteps of his friends approaching.

"Ash! Don't run off like that again! You don't know what could've been in here," Serena said both angrily and worriedly.

"I have to agree with twerpette there. It's not safe considering that Madame X and Lord Y could be here and set a trap," Meowth responded. Ash frowned, sometimes he would act too impulsive that it could be harmful.

"My bad. I just really want to save Pikachu and see if Kuzuki really is here." His words made the room go silent. "We should split up here," Ash suggested.

"Right." Clemont peered at the hallway left of them. "Bonnie, follow me." Clemont and Bonnie left leaving Ash, Serena, Meowth, and Malamar to go the other way.

"Okay, we'll go through here then." No one said anything as they walked across the eerie hall. They stumbled upon several rooms but left empty handed.

"They got to be here somewhere," Ash said, breaking the silence. "We searched just about everyone room on this side of the building."

"Malamar," Malamar agreed with the boy. The overturning pokemon lead the way, guarding the three behind him. If there was anyone that could match the physic power of Madame X's Malamar, then it would be him.

"Woah, look at the size of that thing." Meowth pointed to replica of one of the planet's with a ring surrounding the sphere.

"Still not here," Ash said, observing the props in the following room.

"I wonder if Clemont found any sign of them," Serena mumbled quietly. They stopped when they saw one of the larger replicas that was glowing bright green. Then, two figures slowly walked from behind it.

"I haven't found a trace of them. We should continue searching." Although it was dark, Ash could make out the figure as Clemont.

"Bonnie? Clemont?" Ash tried to get their attention.

"Kind of. Except now they are being controlled now too!" Ash and Serena gasped. Their two friends were under the control of Malamar. The two attempted to back away.

"Malamar! Ma!" Meowth heard the sudden cry of Malamar and saw a wall of light blocking Malamar from them. His ears bestowed upon the sound of another Malamar that crept above them.

"Malamar!" Serena shrieked.

"Madame X's Malamar used Light Screen on our Malamar. He's trapped!" Meowth explained.

"Maaaa…." The enemy Malamar conjured up its Hypnosis. Quickly, the three shielded their eyes.

"Ah! Don't look at it!" Meowth screeched.

"We got to get out of here." Ash turned around only to see Clemont and Bonnie blocking their path. They were out of options.

"I know! Meowth, use Fury Swipes on me, fast!" Ash requested urgently. Meowth clawed Ash's face multiple times. Ash winced but kept his position.

"Now me!" Meowth did the same to himself. "Youch! Does that hurt!" He turned to Serena's untampered face. "I'm afraid you're up next!" Serena's eyes widened at the sight of Meowth's sharpened claws and Ash's scratched face.

"No! No!" Serena's voice cracked in fear. "I don't want my face all scratch up like that!" She protested, leaving her defenseless. The enemy Malamar saw how vulnerable she was and unveiled its Hypnosis on her. Serena's eyes stared at the bright like, almost as if she couldn't look away.

"Huh!?" Meowth yelled in shock when he saw Serena being pulled away from her demise. Malamar escaped from the Light Screen and fired a Psybeam to the enemy. Madame X's Malamar, stunned by its victim escaping, didn't have time to react and was enveloped by the attack.

"What?" Serena whispered to herself. She thought it was it for her and her mind. She could feel something wrapped around her stomach and then it disappeared. She gazed at her savior and gasped.

"Ivy! Ivy!" It was Ivysaur! Ivysaur recalled its Vine Whip and smiled at the girl.

"Ivysaur? You're the one who helped me?" She asked, still a bit dazed. "If you're here does that mean Ku-"

"Serena! We got to go!" Ash hollered. Ivysaur nodded to Serena, answering her unfinished question without hesitation.

"Ivysaur!" Ivysaur urged Serena to go. Serena got back up her feet and headed around the enemy Malamar. She could see Ash and the others already running straight ahead. Serena heard Ivysaur's footsteps following her.

"Malamar!" The enemy Malamar growled in fury and used its physic on Ivysaur.

"Ivy! Ivy! Ivy!" Ivysaur's cries were audible to Serena. She briefly looked over her shoulder for a quick second and saw Ivysaur being fully hypnotized by Malamar. Serena silently thanked the seed pokemon for his sacrifice and continued forward.

Serena finally caught up to the two when they stopped. Ash was relieved to see her. "Serena, you're alright!"

Serena stared at the floor with her body shaky. "Ash…." She gulped nervously. "He…he...Kuzuki! He's here!" Serena snapped out of her demeanor and said the last part louder.

Ash clenched his fists. "No way. It can't be. He can't be here with that dangerous Malamar…"

Serena grabbed his shoulders and forced Ash to face her. "He is. Kuzuki's Ivysaur was the one who saved me! Ivysaur sacrificed himself for me…" Serena was ready to burst into tears. Ash was about to comfort the girl until a spotlight shined down to a specific area of the room. It revealed a tall stack of worn down furniture piled on top of one another. At the peak of this was no other then Madame X. At the bottom was Lord Y, who was once again on Blastoise's shoulder. Team Rocket and their pokemon were also with him.

"A pointless sacrifice." Madame X's laugh echoed through the room. Ash's face darkened when he spotted who was on her lap.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out to his partner.

"Show them your power," Officer Jenny told the tiny mouse pokemon. Pikachu hopped down the pile of furniture gracefully and charge up his electricity.

"Pikachu." Even Pikachu's voice changed as he struck Ash with a Thunderbolt. Ash whimpered in pain.

"Ash!" Serena ran to his side.

"I don't get it. Why did Pikachu attack me?"

"Check out those eyes. Pikachu has been hypnotized by Malamar," Meowth answered. Ash stared at Pikachu in disbelief.

"Pikachu has become my faithful and obedient servant. Now, stop them all once and for all!" Madame X demanded. Pikachu sprinted towards Ash rapidly, an emotionless expression on his face.

"Pikachu!" Ash recognized it as Quick Attack. Serena braced herself since she was also near Ash.

"Malamar!" Malamar stood in front of the two and use his physic to push Pikachu away. The electric type was flung all the way across the room and crashed onto the wall.

"Wait! Don't hurt Pikachu!" Ash pleaded. Malamar grunted, not seeing another way around it without inflicting some damage on Pikachu.

"Hmph. It appears that this Malamar will be a thorn to my back." Right on queue, Clemont, Bonnie, Ivysaur, and her own Malamar came into the room.

"Give it up Ash. Don't resist. The world now belongs to Madame X, Lord Y, and the Pokémon Patrol!" Clemont announced. A door opened, revealing a group of pokemon with glowing eyes.

"Pikachu, finish this!" Officer Jenny shouted. Pikachu removed himself from the wall and rushed at the four. He soared to the air and prepared for an Electro Ball.

"Malamar!" Malamar grabbed Pikachu with his physic and pulled him closer. He hadn't tried this moveoncec but he was willing to give it his best shot.

"Don't hurt him!" Ash repeated desperately. The opposite of what he previously thought happened. Malamar surrounded himself with violet aura that increased each second. He then released the power and used it on Pikachu. However, instead of damaging Pikachu, the move did something else.

"Woah! Look at Pikachu's eyes!" Meowth exclaimed, perplexed as Pikachu's eyes started flickering back and forth. "I think Malamar's reverted him back!"

"Really!?" Ash sputtered. Madame X stood up, alerted by the sudden predicament. Lord Y remained seated, not bothered by the turn of events.

"Impossible! Malamar!" The enemy Malamar pushed the human victims out of its way and hurried towards the other Malamar. Ash decided to do something both risky and stupid at the same time.

"Not so fast!" Ash tackled the overturning pokemon to the ground. "You're not getting in my way while Pikachu is turning back to normal!" Malamar sneered and used its physic to toss Ash to a nearby wall.

"Ash!" Serena screamed. The hostile Malamar resumed its conquest but soon found itself too late.

"Pika. Pika. Pikachu!" Pikachu stood on top of the passive Malamar's head, glaring at the other Malamar. "Pikachu!" The electric type unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt at Malamar, furious at seeing Ash being taken down.

"Maaa!" Malamar's body was filled with thousands of electric volts. It collapsed to the floor in a painful heap. Pikachu hopped down Malamar and ran to his trainer.

"Pikachu!" Ash hugged his partner tightly. "You're okay!" Ash couldn't believe it. Ash's day was filled with more bewilderment as everyone under Malamar's influence returned to normal.

Meowth noticed this too and went over to his fellow Team Rocket members along with Malamar. "You're you again! Big improvement!"

"Malamar!" James hugged his pokemon who returned the gesture.

"You wouldn't believe it. Malamar saved the day!" Meowth praised. James eyed his pokemon proudly.

"My Malamar. The messiah of today." James knew from the start that Malamar was full of potential. Malamar gleefully accepted Pumpkaboo, Meowth, and James' compliments.

"Huh? When did Serena get here?" Clemont questioned.

"You two were under Malamar's control," Serena explained to Clemont and Bonnie.

"What about you?"

"I had some help." Serena genuinely smiled at the unhypnotized Ivysaur, who stood beside the two siblings.

Madame X fell to her knees. Everyone watched as she stood up and the cloak around her fell off.

"Officer Jenny!?" Ash uttered in shock. Officer Jenny slowly scanned the place.

"What am I doing? I got a report that there was some strange activity. I came here to check it out with…" She gasped. "..Kuzuki!"

"Kuzuki!?" True to her words, Ash spotted all of Kuzuki's pokemon in the same room. Swinub, Dartrix, Nidoran, Ivysaur, and Blastoise. Ash's eyes wandered to the Blastoise who was much closer to where they were.

"Wait…" Ash, for once, started putting the pieces together. "...that's it! Lord Y is Kuzuki!!" Ash shouted boisterously.

"Kuzuki!?" Bonnie shrieked.

"No way!" Meowth hollered.

"Really!?" Serena was the loudest of them all.

"I...I did this to him." Officer Jenny covered her face with her hands, ashamed.

"I don't think so Madame X or should I say, Jenny!" Everyone was taken aback when Lord Y, or rather Kuzuki, was still in his cloak. His hood was down, revealing that it was in fact Kuzuki.

"Aw sweet! Kuzuki, we finally found you!" Ash attempted to run up to his friend but was stopped by Officer Jenny. "What's the deal!?" Ash asked irritated.

"That's not Kuzuki. It's still Lord Y!" She announced.

"What!? I thought Malamar's Hypnosis wore off!" Clemont reasoned.

Officer Jenny shook her head. "No, most of his power drained from the Thunderbolt. Kuzuki is an exception. His mind was already weakened when we took down Bradshaw's base. He was about to be brainwashed but the process didn't fully complete. From what Kuzuki told me, it takes a while until his mind fully recovered. Malamar must've damaged it even worse when he hypnotized Kuzuki. His mind turned more vulnerable. That's why he's still under control with what little power Malamar has left!"

Ash scowled. "So? We'll just weaken Malamar some more. Pikachu, Thunderbo-huh?" Ash stopped his command when he noticed that Malamar was gone. "Where'd he go?" Everyone started looking for the missing overturning pokemon.

"Yes! Delightful!" Kuzuki said. "It'll be Lord Y ruling over the entire world starting with Kalos! We must retreat at once!" Kuzuki was levitated off the ground. Malamar revealed himself up above and fled with Kuzuki floating in tow.

"Stop Malamar! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash said.

"Malamar, Psybeam!" James followed. The two pokemon were about to unleash their attack until the hostile Malamar forcefully shoved Kuzuki in front of it, acting like a shield.

"Stop!" They both yelled. The two pokemon quickly halted their attack.

"Yes! Hurry and prepare me with the ultimate deletion!" Kuzuki dared them to strike. "No? Hurry Brother Malamar! We shall take ourselves to the ultimate weapon! You have my thanks for assisting with the new weapon Madame X!" Kuzuki laughed abnormally as him and Malamar left the room.

"New weapon?!" Clemont shuddered at the mention of a weapon. "Of course! Malamar must've hypnotized Officer Jenny and Kuzuki so that they could assume the role of Madame X and Lord Y! Then he made both of them craft this new weapon!" Clemont predicted with the evidence that he collected.

"No time to talk. We have to follow Malamar!" Officer Jenny chased after Malamar with everyone following her. The pokemon minus Meowth, Malamar, Pumpkaboo, Wobbuffet, Pikachu, and Ivysaur stay behind.

"Drats. Those parasites are following us!" Kuzuki growled. "Faster Malamar!" Their pace quickened and they went through a door. Kuzuki eyed the invention hungrily.

"What's that?" Kuzuki heard Ash say.

Kuzuki grinned. "Oh I don't know, only a weapon of mass destruction!" Kuzuki liked the fear in their eyes. This is only beginning of the new world, and of its grand design!" He then scowled hatefully. "But now you discovered it. It must be disposed of quickly." Kuzuki took out a remote and pushed a button.

All of a sudden, the spikes surrounding the top of the building exploded. Kuzuki's laugh bellowed throughout the room.

"Haha ha! Now this is where we part. It was so nice to meet you goons, not! Malamar!" Kuzuki waited to be taken away. "Malamar?" The hostile overturning pokemon smiled wickedly at Kuzuki and started waving his tentacle, imitating a hand waving gesture.

"You backstabbing traitor!" Kuzuki shrieked. Malamar laughed and removed all signs of his physic abilities off of Kuzuki. The boy plummeted to the ground and moaned painfully.

"Kuzuki!" Ash headed for Kuzuki but was once again stopped by Officer Jenny.

"You got to go on ahead. This whole building is about to explode. I'll go get Kuzuki. Hurry!" Ash nodded and fled the room with everyone else. Officer Jenny slung Kuzuki over her shoulder and made a break for it.

She could feel Kuzuki shiver. "Oh Kuzuki, you don't deserve all of this," Kuzuki groaned in response. Officer Jenny exited the building and saw all the pokemon already outside. The other crouched near the bigger pokemon, waiting for the explosion. Officer Jenny did the same just in time as the shockwaves of the explosion forced its way to them. They all kept their ground.

Once all the tremors were gone, everyone took a deep breath. Bonnie spied the overturning pokemon. "It's Malamar!"

The hostile Malamar chuckled, taking one final glance at them before flying to the sky and beyond. They all got back to their feet and watched the overturning pokemon retreat.

"It's beginning of its grand design. Those words came from Malamar itself," Clemont repeated.

"Malamar…" Ash stared at the sky were Malamar used to be. "That's one scary pokemon. Luckily, the Malamar that Team Rocket has isn't like that. Or at least, not yet." Ash's words made everyone go quiet. Team Rocket took this opportunity to leave quietly

"Ugh. My head…" Kuzuki groaned. Ash turned to his friend excitingly.

"Kuzuki! You're back to normal! Man, it sure is wonderful that you're here now after the whole smuggler business," Ash said.

"Where am I? How did I get here?" Kuzuki asked himself. The boy looked at Ash, a rush of happiness surging through him. "Ash!?" Kuzuki went up and gave him a fist pump.

"What're you doing here Ash?! I never thought I'd see you here in Kalos!" Ash froze. "How's it hanging? Its felt like a century since I last saw you! Did you just arrive at Kalos!? I totally have to show you around! It'll be like the good old times. Like a mini Kanto reunion minus Brock and Misty!" Ash ignored Kuzuki's giddiness.

"Can you say that again?" Ash requested. His words fell deaf to Kuzuki's ears once the boy spotted the two blond haired siblings.

"Wow! Clemont, Bonnie, you guys are here too! This is amazing! I haven't seen you guys in months. How's the gym been Clemont. I hope Clembot is doing a fantastic job fulfilling its duty. And you Bonnie, I hope you haven't been to lonely since I've been gone. You know how Clemont can be when he's in the zone making new inventions!" Kuzuki laughed innocently.

"Huh?!" Clemont gaped, ignoring the last part.

"What's happening!?" Bonnie asked fearfully. After Kuzuki was done petting Dedenne he faced his pokemon.

"Ivysaur! Blastoise! Nidoran! Dartrix! Swinub! How's my beloved team up to? Are you guys ready to challenge Olympia for the Psychic Badge!" Kuzuki said with confidence. "Though, I thought we were in Dendemille Town? Oh well, as long as I'm with my old pals!" His pokemon stared at their trainer with confusion. They began chattering, trying to figure out what was wrong with Kuzuki.

Kuzuki set his focus to Officer Jenny. "Hello again Officer Jenny. Did you come here to get my help again. I don't know, after the whole business with Bradshaw I don't think I'm ready for a while. Too bad he escaped with a good chunk of his men." Kuzuki frowned before smiling again.

"This is what I feared," Officer Jenny said to herself as she watched Kuzuki approach the last person.

"Man, it sure is awesome seeing all of you old friends again!" Kuzuki exclaimed before his eyes met Serena's. The girl smiled bashfully and shuffled her feet nervously. She didn't know how to start. Serena decided during her talk with Ash that she'd be more nicer to Kuzuki. His Ivysaur saving her set the deal straight. She walked up to him and smiled brightly, nostalgia beginning to hit her. Serena was about to say her first direct word to Kuzuki in years.

Kuzuki's confused expression set her back. Why was he so perplexed at seeing her. Maybe it was because she was approaching him kinder than she ever was since Kuzuki joined their group. Serena was about to say something until Kuzuki cut her off before she began.

"Hey yo guys, who's the chick in the hat?"

And just like that, they were back to square one.

 _ **Author's Note: Chapter Ten is complete. Not much to say, chapter alerts are still wonky and at this point I don't know how to tackle it. Onto the story itself, James having Malamar is now a permanent addition and it'll affect the story due to a Malamar's power. I decided to skip the Battle Chateau episode as I found it not necessary for my story. If you go back to what Officer Jenny said about Kuzuki you'll see why he's the way he is now. Next chapter will focus in on Kuzuki and Serena's past as well as Kuzuki's past accident at the camp being revealed. Watch out for a wild Chapter 11: A Pokévision Catastrophe!**_


	11. I Forgot to Remember to Forget

**_Quick A/N: I know I said last chapter that this was the chapter with the Pokévision episode but I decided to change my mind and save it for next chapter because I wanted to build some development before that chapter. Just a heads up to know what you're in for. Full A/N at the bottom as always._**

 _Chapter 11: I Forgot to Remember to Forget_

Serena didn't move an inch. She stared at Kuzuki who was still confused seeing her. She didn't know what to think. Perhaps he was just playing a joke to get her back. Yeah, that's it.

Her hands were shaking. Serena wanted to say something but she couldn't even manage to let out a peep.

Officer Jenny went towards Kuzuki and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Kuzuki, can you come with me for a second?" The boy nodded and followed the officer farther away from the group.

"I don't know how to put it like this Kuzuki," Officer Jenny started.

Kuzuki grinned at her. "How about with words?" Officer Jenny couldn't help but smile at the boy.

She groaned. "This is suppose to be serious Kuzuki." Officer Jenny put her hands on his shoulder and made direct eye contact. "You seemed to have lost some of your memories."

Kuzuki's eyes widened. "I did!? But just yesterday I was in Dendemille Town. I was planning on challenging Olympia for the Physic Badge! I remember yesterday so clearly!" Kuzuki exclaimed.

"You lost the gym battle," Officer Jenny told him bluntly.

Kuzuki was crestfallen. He frowned and not even a second later did he smiled brightly. "That means that I'll have to change my battle plan! I have to do some more training for my second battle against Olympia, even if i don't remember the first!" Kuzuki said with a confident tone.

"I'm afraid you can't, we're not near Anistar City anymore. We're towards Cyllage City."

Kuzuki's eyes sparkled. "As long as I'm near a gym that I haven't challenged. Oh, but I don't know what the gym leader there specializes in. I guess that's the fun part." His face then turned serious. "What did I forget?"

Officer Jenny explained to Kuzuki what occured over the past week. From meeting his friends to taking down Bradshaw and how Malamar was the one to mess up his mind.

"Wow…" Kuzuki's head swirled from all this new information. "Team Rocket is here too, Bradshaw is arrested, a Malamar corrupted me, and my old friends are here! Boy, I sure did miss a lot. Though, there's one thing that I still don't know about."

"What's that?" Officer Jenny asked curiously. She explained everything to him already, what more can be left unanswered?

"You said all these people are my friends. That I'm sure of. But I don't recognize that girl right there." Kuzuki pointed to Serena, puzzled. Serena, who had been watching the two talk, turned away once Kuzuki's finger pointed to her direction.

Officer Jenny shook her head. "I'm not exactly sure what you two are. Maybe it's a good idea to talk to her and figure it out. She did look rather sad when you didn't know who she was," Officer Jenny acknowledged.

"I guess you're right." Kuzuki gave her a quick hug. "Thanks for everything Officer Jenny. I don't know what could've happened if it wasn't for you." Kuzuki was grateful of the officer's actions. He'd be a brainwashed hooligan if she wasn't with him at the time.

"Anytime kiddo." Officer Jenny patted his head. "I don't know how we'll regain your memories. I haven't been in this type of situation before. Perhaps try to reconnect with your friends. They ought to knock some memory in your head," The officer suggested.

Kuzuki nodded. "Right. I don't exactly remember anything after I was about to challenge Olympia, but I won't let that stop me from my real goal of collecting all eight badges!" Kuzuki declared.

Officer Jenny adjusted her hat. "That's the spirit. Remember, if you need anything I'll always be on the line ready to come to your aid." Kuzuki grinned at her gratefully. "Now, let's head back to your friends. I'm sure you want to catch up some more." Kuzuki ran to his friends before she finished. Officer Jenny chuckled and went to her vehicle.

Kuzuki felt the nice cool breeze flow right through his face, the wind was always something that calmed him down. His mind wandered elsewhere. He tried recall most of his past. To his misfortune, everything after his mom and dad discussing about summer activities when he was six was a blur. Oddly enough, his memories sprung back up again during the start of his journey, meeting up with his old friends, Ash, Brock, and Misty.

"Man, those sure were the days." Kuzuki enjoyed his time with his friends. From what Misty told him what happened after the Johto League ended, Ash went back to Pallet Town before going to Hoenn, Brock headed back to Pewter City for a brief time and then reunited with Ash for his journey to Hoenn. Finally, Misty herself became gym leader of the Cerulean City.

Kuzuki himself didn't have the privilege to give a proper farewell like the three did, instead…

 ** _One previously unproper farewell..._**

"What!? What do you mean you're leaving!?" A distraught orange haired girl shrieked.

The boy with the crimson beanie was just as upset. "I don't have a choice Misty. Believe me, I want to stay here and root Ash on in the Victory Tournament. My dad just called, he wants me back home immediately. I have to do what he says, he's my dad."

Misty couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But Kuzuki, we still have…"

"I know. I know," Kuzuki sighed. "It's my fault. I just had to get myself disqualified. I can't tell you why. It's personal."

Misty grew agitated. "You can't or you won't!? I thought we were friends Kuzuki! Friends tell each other everything no matter what!"

Kuzuki's shoulders tensed when he saw tears start to spill from her eyes. He never once seen Misty cry at all. She was a tough person. Kuzuki rubbed his arm awkwardly, not sure how to react.

"Er...you know that's not what I meant Misty."

"Then what do you mean, huh!?" Misty demanded, her voice cracking in the process. "If you want to go then just go! See if I care!" Misty crossed her arms and turned her back against Kuzuki.

"Misty…" Kuzuki approached the girl and embraced her from behind. "...I'll tell you one day, not today, but one day. Don't let that bother you. I'm sure you have plenty of secrets that you don't want to tell me."

Misty hitched her breath and faced Kuzuki. "You don't know how much I want to tell you…" She responded quietly. Kuzuki's eyes widened before he smiled and rested his chin on top of her head.

"Take as much time as you need," He answered genuinely. The two stayed silent for a few minutes.

"When are you leaving?" Misty asked, breaking the silence.

"Tomorrow evening," He replied.

"So we still have one full day left." Misty raised her head to look at Kuzuki. "Are you sure you have to go?"

Kuzuki hummed. "Yes, as much as I don't want to I'm still dead straight on returning to Fuschia City. When my father requests something from me I do it. It could be urgent. At least you'll still have Ash and Brock with you."

Misty groaned. "It's not going to be the same."

"It'll have to do," Kuzuki said. "Besides, when the Johto League is over you will all have to find somewhere else new to go."

"I never thought about that until now." Her grip tightened. "What if we all go our separate ways. Something could come up last minute like with you. What then?" Misty questioned.

Kuzuki shrugged. "I'm not too keen on that situation. Just remember, do what feels right. If Ash or Brock have somewhere specific in mind then just hear them out first. Then you decide whether or not you want to follow. Though, I'm sure I know what your answer will be." He smirked. "I know how much you love traveling to become the best water type trainer. Ash and Brock will help you along the way."

Misty huffed. "I hate it when you're right." She felt Kuzuki wipe a few stray tears from her face. "I must look like a weak trainer, huh? I'm over here crying about one of my closest friends leaving."

"It's not something to be ashamed of Misty. We've been traveling together for like an eternity! We've seen each other at our best and our worst. We all started our journey together after all. That's something no trainer will ever forget. It'll feel different when there's change. Just think how I'll feel when I have to go back to Kanto all by myself. Boy, it'll feel so weird without you three by my side, but I'll manage. It's not like we'll never see each other ever again. It's not goodbye, more so a see you next time."

Misty was captivated in Kuzuki's words. "Ugh, that last part was so cheesy!" She giggled. "You'll make sure to come hang out with us again, right?"

"Of course! You're making it sound like I'm leaving today. Let's leave the sappy stuff for tomorrow. I got to go tell Ash and Brock the news too. Hopefully, they won't be as upset as you. I don't think I can think of more humble speeches." Kuzuki winked at the girl. Misty smiled bashfully and let Kuzuki drape his arm over her. She hummed contentedly as they walked towards the door of the room.

"You know exactly why I'm upset Kuzuki. You're the one that made me lo-" Misty halted her words when Kuzuki opened the door. To their surprise, Ash, Pikachu, and Brock came tumbling down to the floor. Misty gasped and quickly detached herself from Kuzuki, both embarrassed and angry.

"Were you two eavesdropping on us!?" Misty asked furiously. Ash and Brock got back on their feet while Pikachu stayed besides Ash's leg.

"No, you got it all wrong!" Ash gulped. "We weren't eavesdropping! We were just listening in to what you two were saying!" Ash explained. Brock facepalmed, already accepting his fate.

"That's what eavesdropping means!" Misty growled. She messily dug through her bag and fished out a very dangerous object.

"No! Anything but that!" Ash yelped. Kuzuki flinched once he saw what was in her hands. It was the same fan that she used back when they visited the preschool back at Kanto during Kids Day. Kuzuki recalled having a talk with Misty to never use it again because of the bruises she left on Brock, Ash, and Pikachu that remained there for weeks. He considered himself lucky that he wasn't in the receiving end of that, only earning a painful slap from Misty instead.

"Please! We didn't mean to intrude in your private moment with Kuzuki. I hope we didn't interrupt anything special! Please don't hurt us!" Brock begged. He didn't pick the right words as Misty's face brewed red.

"What do you mean by that!?" She demanded, flustered before she went back to being angry. "Why I ought to give you double!"

Brock gasped. "Wah! No! You see, what had happened was...uh.." Brock thought about his excuse until he pointed a finger to Ash. "..it was all Ash's idea! Yeah, that's it! Here I was minding my own business when Ash barged in and told me that he wanted to spy on you Misty. I told him that I didn't want to but you know how he doesn't take no for an answer," Brock hastily misinformed Misty. Kuzuki had an amused expression on his face when Ash eyed Brock with a look of betrayal.

"Don't believe him Misty! Here's what really happened. I was training my pokemon until Brock decided to show up and he dragged me all the way here. He wanted to spy on both you and Kuzuki to get some dirty blackmailing information to use against you two!" Ash accused. Soon after both Ash and Brock were arguing back and forth.

"Enough!" Misty shrieked. "You two both deserve what's coming to you." Misty raised her fan high up in the air and descended it from the air. Ash and Brock braced themselves.

"All right, that's enough!" Ash and Brock stared at Kuzuki as if he was a superhero. Kuzuki hugged Misty from behind. Misty, too distracted by the warmth of his chest, faltered and slowly enveloped herself into his grasp. Kuzuki hesitantly grabbed hold of her fan and swiped it as fast as lightning. Luckily for him, Misty didn't seem to care. The orange haired girl sighed pleasantly and sunk deeper into his chest when he rested his chin on top of her hair.

Ash and Brock gaped at Kuzuki. They rarely seen Misty like this ever. They always known her to be the tough girl but here she was, defeated by one simple hug.

"How…"

"Oh, you both know why." Kuzuki rolled his eyes. "Now I'm sure you two already heard what we discussed here."

Ash nodded solemnly. "Yeah, you're going back to Kanto tomorrow."

"Your dad wants you back urgently," Brock added.

"Correct. Geez, so you guys were eavesdropping on us."

"You can't blame us for eavesdropping," Brock protested. "You went to answer your dad's call and came back all disappointed. You took Misty with you and left without telling Ash and I anything."

"We were worried about you," Ash said. "Now we know why."

"Hey, don't take it so rough. I'd still be here with you all but if it's something from my dad then I have to listen," Kuzuki replied.

Ash shuffled his feet. "What's it about if you don't mind me asking."

Kuzuki avoided their eyes. "Actually, I do. Again, don't take it so rough. It's something personal." Kuzuki felt relieved when he received understanding looks from the two.

"It's alright. We get it," Brock noted. "If it were my father then I'd listen too."

"It's going to feel weird without you cheering me on," Ash admitted. "But I know you'll want me to continue. I'll do my best and win the tournament for us!" Ash declared confidently.

Kuzuki grinned. "Hey, no need to do all of that for me. Just making it this far is enough for me. We both earned our spots in this tournament. I still remember our early days when we were fighting to get the Thunder Badge. Now look at us, this is our second major competition. We've come a long way Ash. I'm glad to end it here for now. Who knows, maybe we'll do this again." Kuzuki turned to Brock. "And you Brock. You showed me many things. From cooking to knowing and making different types of medicines for pokemon. You've always been there for us kind of like an older brother. For that I say thanks." Kuzuki's words caused the two to beam in pride.

"You got it Kuzuki!" Ash responded.

"I'm honored for that title Kuzuki," Brock replied.

Kuzuki chuckled. "Why am I repeating myself so much today. We're making it sound like I'm leaving today. We got one full day left before I depart. Why don't we go out and have dinner? My treat," Kuzuki suggested.

"Sure!" Brock answered delightfully.

"Anything if you're there," Misty said cheekily.

"Awesome! I'm starving!" Ash's stomach rumbled to prove his claim. They all bursted out laughing and headed out of the room, preparing their plans for their last day together as a group of four.

 ** _Present..._**

"I'm so happy that I still remember most of my journey," Kuzuki said to himself. The trip to Alola was also prominent in his mind along with the start of his adventure to Kalos. Kuzuki finally made it to where his friends were and greeted them eagerly again.

"I don't remember why all of us are together here but it's not like I'm complaining! By what Officer Jenny told me I didn't miss much," Kuzuki explained.

"I wouldn't say that." Clemont spoke. "I'd say you miss a lot if you don't count what transpired with Bradshaw and Malamar. Then again, you don't remember any of that."

"Clemont's right," Ash chimed in. "We met up back in Lumiose City. Your Voltage Badge was taken by Clembot," Ash recalled.

"It did!?" Kuzuki asked, perplexed. "Clemont…"

"It's fine! N-nothing to worry about!" Clemont stammered. He reflected back to when Kuzuki was mad about finding out that Clembot didn't recognise him as its co-creator. "We got your badge back."

Bonnie giggled at her brother's nervousness. "He's right Kuzuki. After that, we went to Professor Sycamore's lab. We were kidnapped by Team Rocket! Luckily, my big brother was able to find their Meowth Bot's weakness." Clemont flushed red at the reminder. "Then we went to a bamboo forest where there was two Panchams and a Pangoro! Pangoro was sick so we got the bamboo sprig to help it feel better, but…" Bonnie stopped and hugged her arm. Ash and Clemont were the same.

"Why the long faces?" Kuzuki asked, seeing their mood go down. "Oh...is that when Bradshaw…" They all nodded at once. Kuzuki knew this from what Officer Jenny told him. "I guess it doesn't matter now! I'm still here and Bradshaw is behind bars. Cheers!"

 ** _Bonnie used Aggressive Punch!_**

 ** _It's super effective!_**

"Ow!" Kuzuki moaned.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him. "It did matter. We were all so worried about you when we found the bamboo forest damaged and you weren't there! Then we found Officer Jenny and she said to us how dangerous those people who kidnapped you were! We had to keep traveling knowing that you were still out there. Hurt or possibly even…" Bonnie hugged Kuzuki tightly. "You made a promise to me the first day that we came together again. That you'd travel with us all the way to Cyllage City. But with all these disasters happening we haven't had much of an adventure to begin with. We're not that far from Cyllage City and our adventure will be over before it even started."

Kuzuki had a thoughtful look on his face as he thought about what Bonnie said. "I promised that, huh?" He eyed Ash, then Clemont. "How about I make it up to you?"

"How?" Bonnie sniffled.

"I'll be a permanent addition to this group!" Kuzuki exclaimed proudly. Everyone was shocked by his sudden words. Even Serena turned to see if what he said really was true.

"W-what?" Ash stuttered. "You told us before that you couldn't because you were on a mission to earn the rest of your badges. I only have one while you have five!" He explained.

Kuzuki waved him off. "I already made up my mind. The part of me that remembered all of this does have a point. However, I'm going to need some help. Regaining my memory and all. Besides, what's a journey without friends by your side." Bonnie squealed gleefully at this and started jumping all over the place.

"Yipee! Kuzuki is traveling with us!" She shouted, not caring how loud she was. Meanwhile, Clemont pondered about why he changed his mind. Kuzuki wasn't too sure about the offer last time but now he embraced the idea. He came to the conclusion that losing and wanting to recover his memories is what set the deal for him. Clemont didn't have any arguments though, he was thrilled that Kuzuki was going to continue his travel with them.

"Awesome!" Ash pumped his fist to the air. "You won't regret it Kuzuki. We'll make sure you'll remember everything that you forgot," Ash vowed. Clemont and Bonnie agreed.

"Nice!" Kuzuki responded, high fiving all three of them before heading to his pokemon, telling them about the new plan.

"I wonder if Kuzuki will be giving me any tips for the gym leaders that he battled," Ash wondered out loud.

Clemont chuckled. "Don't expect anything about me. I want our gym battle to be one you'll never forget. Finding out my strategies will ruin it."

Ash smirked at him. "As if I was thinking about that. I want it just as fair as you do!" The two exchanged a laugh.

"Um...guys," Bonnie uttered, pulling on Clemont's jumpsuit.

"Hmm?" Bonnie pointed at Serena who was staring off to the sky. "Oh, that's right. I find it odd that out of all the things that Kuzuki could've forgot, it was Serena. It could've been easily one of us. The two have history together and forgetting about all of that must've taken its toll on Serena," Clemont informed the two. "We should go over and see if she's alright."

"Already ahead of you," Ash said, nearing Serena. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Serena, you alright?"

Normally Serena would've exploded from the contact from Ash but right now, it didn't matter to her. She stood there, unfazed by her three friends presence.

"Kuzuki forgot me…" She repeated for what seemed like the millionth time for her.

Ash's eyes turned sincere. "He did. There's no denying that. But you shouldn't let the go over your head. I don't know how you're feeling right now but-"

"That's right, you don't know what I'm feeling," Serena interjected, the tone of her voice darkened. "You don't know how it feels to finally have a friend when you've been alone for so long. The only company is your own mother. Then you go mess things up and ruin the only friendship that you've ever experienced. After all those years your friend comes back in your life and you push them away. Push them away because you thought they were the one who ruined it but in truth it was you all along! Or maybe both...it doesn't matter! They get kidnapped and that's only when you realise your mistake and it could've been too late. Then they come back again and completely forgets who you even are! They forget everything that you two went through together. You don't have a clue at what I'm feeling…" Serena stopped herself from going on further. She wiped several tears from her face and noticed the perplexed eyes of one Ash Ketchum. "...just leave me alone Ash. I'm sorry I snapped at you. I just need some time by myself," She requested softly.

Ash was about to say something until Clemont cleared his throat. He shook his head and motioned them to distance themselves. "I know you want to say something Ash but I think it's best to leave Serena alone for a while," Clemont said as they walked back to where they previously were.

"If you're sure," Ash replied, glancing at Serena who was hugging herself. "I didn't know she was going to be that upset."

"I didn't either. I guess all that anger must've builded judging by how she spoke," Clemont concurred.

"Obviously you two are as dense as ever!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Huh!?" They both cried out together.

"Didn't you hear a single word that she just said?" She sighed when she was met with a no response. "What did you two exactly hear while she was ranting?"

"I got distracted by that." Clemont pointed a finger to where Kuzuki and his pokemon stood. Kuzuki was doing a funky dance with his Dartrix. The rest of his pokemon watched with awe. "It sounds so ridiculous. I guess I'm a bad friend." Clemont hung his head down, ashamed.

"No time to beat yourself up Clemont. It's one mistake that you won't make again, right?" Her brother nodded understandably. "And you, Ash! What's your excuse?"

Ash was taken aback. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously while Pikachu poked him on the cheek. "I don't really have an excuse. I guess her just yelling so harshly distracted me from what she was trying to say. I never heard her sound that way before. Even when she was being rude behind Kuzuki's back."

"Unbelievable. And you two call yourselves her friends?" They both muttered an apology. "I guess I'll let you both have a pass for now because I'm feeling so generous right now. Next time, pay attention when your friend is spilling their emotions out!"

"Right," Ash and Clemont answered in unison. They both felt awful about it and promised to never make the same mistake again.

Bonnie smiled. "I'm glad you two learned your lesson." She turned serious. "Serena told us how Kuzuki was her friend-"

"We already know that," Ash pointed out without thinking.

Bonnie grew irritated. "If you'll let me finish." Ash gestured her to continue. "Kuzuki was Serena's first friend. When they met at camp Serena didn't have a single friend until Kuzuki came into the picture. Our very first friends are very special. Ash, who was your first friend?"

Ash was quick to answer. "Gary Oak. I met him a few months before I met Kuzuki. We were friends, then rivals, then friends again. I'll never forget our friendship. We even had this half of a pokeball that we kept after our big fight. I returned it to Gary before he left." Ash's eyes widened when he finally understood what Bonnie meant.

"What about you, Clemont?"

Clemont smiled as he look up at the fluffy clouds. "It was one of the students in the academy that I enrolled in as a child. His name was Toshihiro and he was one of the young adults in the academy. We shared notes and ideas. He was the one who told me that even though I was the youngest there that I shouldn't let that intimidate me and that I should be proud of my high intellect. We were both set to graduate at the same day and I couldn't think of anything. Toshihiro was the one who said that I should look for some fresh ideas outside. Long story short, I found what I needed and graduated. It's also the inspiration for me wanting to make inventions. All thanks to Toshihiro telling me to go outside." Clemont finished with his chest gleaming with pride.

Clemont saw Ash's marveled face. "I'll fill you in on the whole story later." He gasped abruptly, no doubt finding out what his sister's true motive for sharing their stories is. "We told you ours, how about you Bonnie?" Clemont asked his sister.

Bonnie showed a toothy smile. "All I ever hung out was with you Clemont, being my brother and all. But that doesn't count. The first person I considered my friend was Kuzuki." Her eyes wandered to the boy who was being tackled by his Swinub. "Clemont was busy making Clembot with Kuzuki. He always came over to our house to work on Clembot but we never spoke. One day I was trying to reach the top counter to get a cookie but I couldn't reach. That was when Kuzuki came and helped me. From there, he'd always make sure to spend time with me whenever he was done making adjustments to Clembot before it was finished and he left to continue his journey."

Clemont went over to hug Bonnie. "I'm so sorry Bonnie. I didn't know at the time. Inventions got in the way of what truly matters to me."

Bonnie returned the hug. "I know big brother. I'm glad we met Kuzuki because he was the one who helped you realise what was happening. That brings me back to my point." Bonnie released herself from Clemont. "Our first friends truly do forge a place in our hearts. Ash, your first friend made you a better trainer. Clemont, you found your inspiration for inventions. And I got Clemont to figure out the error of his ways and that got us to spend more brother-sister time. As for Serena, a friend was all that she needed. Just someone being there with her helped Serena come out of her shell and talk about things to someone who isn't her mother."

"Wow." Ash gaped at the younger sibling. "You sure do have a way with words."

Bonnie giggled. "I learned it from the best, even if I didn't want to." She directed her focus to Clemont who once again, puffed his chest with pride. "How would we all feel if our first friend suddenly forgets who we are?"

"I'd feel terrible," Clemont responded.

"Same here," Ash added.

"There you have it. Even if we don't know how Serena feels we could imagine it. It might not be accurate but it's close enough." They all heard Kuzuki's yells as he started to run towards them. He called back his pokemon except for Ivysaur.

"I wonder who Kuzuki's first friend was," Clemont thought out loud. "Kuzuki's so energetic, he must've met tons of people."

Ash gave him an amused look. "I don't know about that. Kuzuki told me that he was in a private school."

Bonnie bursted out laughing. "A private school!? Kuzuki!? No way!"

"It's true," Ash admitted. "He could've been the silent one for all we know. He's never told me much about it. He just said that it stunk and that everyone there was stuck up."

Clemont had a light bulb appear at the top of his head. A revelation bestowed upon him. "When did you become friends with Kuzuki, Ash?"

"A week after camp started. We were cabinmates but we never talked until he invited me to go exploring for pokemon. We hit it off after that," Ash replied.

Clemont snapped his fingers. "Then could it be possible that Kuzuki's first friend was Serena! Much like he was to her. That must be why Kuzuki made it out to seem that they were close back in Lumiose City. And why Serena is so distraught now."

Ash realised the possible outcome as well. "That must be why those bracelets mean so much to them!" He revealed.

"The what?" Clemont questioned.

"You mean that girly bracelet?" Bonnie snickered. Before Ash had a chance to explain, Kuzuki arrived.

"Hey guys!" He chirped. "I just wanted to know when you all are ready to leave. You three were talking for a million years!" He emphasized.

"You bet! We were just talking," Ash answered innocently. Kuzuki eyed him suspiciously before he beamed brightly once more.

"Fantastic! I can't wait to travel with my friends again!" Kuzuki's smile wore off when he noticed Serena to the far right. "Tell your friend that we're going soon. Not to be rude but her unhappy demeanor is really bumming me out. Mind checking up on her to see what's up?"

Bonnie resisted the urge to groan loudly. "You're the only one that can fix her behavior," She whispered to herself quietly. "Serena! We're almost ready to leave!" She shouted. Kuzuki was too busy polishing his pokeballs to listen.

Serena timidly made her way over to the group and stood by Ash. She stole a quick glance towards Kuzuki to see him wiping his pokeball with his knuckles. Serena frowned, he didn't pay her presence to mind.

Officer Jenny came by in her motorcycle. Her Manectric was in his usual place on the sidecar. "This is it for now. I appreciate your help Kuzuki, even if you don't remember it." Kuzuki saluted the officer. "Are you sure you don't want to tag along for a ride. We could go find you a doctor that might help us with your problem and then drop you off by Cyllage City," She offered.

Kuzuki politely declined her offer. "No thanks Officer Jenny. No offense to you or anything but I want to get to Cyllage City with my friends. They might trigger some of my memory along the way."

Officer Jenny nodded. "None taken Kuzuki. I know you'll do well without me. All these experiences toughened you up." She directed her attention to the others. "Please do keep an eye out for Kuzuki. I don't know how I'll react when I hear that Kuzuki is in danger again."

Ash laughed. "Don't worry Officer Jenny. We'll make sure Kuzuki is away from any other bad people. Although, I can't say the same for Team Rocket. They always show up and try to steal Pikachu."

"I'm sure they won't be much trouble if you handled them for so long. Goodbye everyone. Kuzuki, Ash, I wish you luck on your upcoming gym battle." Officer Jenny waved at them before she drove off to the direction of the officers office. She wanted to see how miserable Bradshaw and his men were.

"Bye!" They cried, Kuzuki being the loudest. They began walking the path to Cyllage City. Bonnie and Kuzuki sparked a conversation on what occurred during the previous days. From going to a kindergarten class, seeking shelter in an abandoned house, Chespin's unhealthy appetite to switching bags with another girl and training with a ninja.

"Wow. You all sure were busy while I was gone," Kuzuki concluded.

"Yup! But now you're with us! It'll be better than cake!" She declared.

Kuzuki and Clemont laughed. Usually, there was nothing better than cake when it comes to Bonnie.

"You sure about that? I know how much you love cake," Kuzuki acknowledged with a grin. Ivysaur listened on carefully. Cake was definitely in his top five favorite things to eat!

"Who doesn't love cake? There's so many yummy types of cake! There's vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, coconut, banana…" Bonnie blabbered on. Kuzuki would've continued listening if it wasn't for Serena, who was straggling behind. The sad look on her face still bummed Kuzuki. A determined smirk appeared on his lips. He slowed down his pace so that Serena would catch up. The others were going on without him, not noticing him gone. Most likely due to Bonnie rambling on about cake.

Serena carelessly trekked forward. She didn't notice that the reason to her unhappiness was right in front of her.

"Hello there!" Kuzuki greeted loudly. Serena let out a shriek and fell down to her bottom.

"Woah!" Kuzuki grew alarmed at her sudden fall. Oddly enough, he could hear the laughing of wild pokemon around the two. They must've seen her fall. Serena groaned and looked up to see who the perpetrator was.

Serena pointed a finger to him and huffed frustratingly, getting back on her feet.

"It is me! Thanks for clarifying!" Kuzuki hoped that humor would cheer her up. To his misfortune, it only made her more upset. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that. I was trying to get your attention, honest!"

"Hmph!" Serena didn't want to see Kuzuki right now and moved on without him. Kuzuki quickly caught up to her.

"Hey, you almost left me there for a sec. Good thing I'm equally as fast, huh?" Serena grunted. "I heard from everyone that we had some sort of connection going on. I can't exactly remember but I hope that it can be fixed. Oh, where are my manners!" Kuzuki halted himself in front of the girl, stopping her from going forward. "My name is Kuzuki Sakai. What's yours?" Kuzuki asked innocently, holding out his hand for her to shake.

Serena felt the nostalgia hit her hard. She went around Kuzuki and moved on.

"That's not fair! This is the part where you introduce yourself and we become best friends! You can't walk away," Kuzuki whined. Kuzuki sighed when he was still ignored. "Is this really how it's going to be? I just wanted to get to know you. Even if we did meet before. Isn't this what you want?" He was met with silence. "Fine." Kuzuki shrugged and caught up with the others.

Serena let out a shaky sigh. Why did she push him away again. He was right there for pete's sake! He even said it himself, this is the part where they become best friends. In her case, again. She grasped the bracelet in her hands and glanced back at Kuzuki. She held out an arm, trying to reach him with her hand.

"Come back…"

Kuzuki took his place back, next to Bonnie.

"...cherry, and pineapple!" She finished, not having a clue that Kuzuki was gone.

"That's great of you for knowing all those cake flavors." He turned to Clemont. "Have you let her eat all of those?"

Clemont shook his head. "Of course not-"

"Yes!" Bonnie answered at the same time. Clemont had an exclamation point magically appear on top of his head. He stared at Bonnie, flabbergasted

"When did you…"

"When you weren't looking of course!" She replied, not knowing the consequences at the time. Clemont stopped walking, which caused everyone to do the same.

"Bonnie…" His backpack sprung open his aipom hand. Bonnie gulped nervously.

"Hey!" Kuzuki gasped. "There's my bag!" He retrieve his backpack from the aipom hand and started rummaging through it. "There it is!" Kuzuki pulled out his red beanie from within and adjusted it around his head. "That feels much better!" He continued his search. "There's my treasured item!" Kuzuki fished out his megaphone.

"Woooo!" Kuzuki bellowed in his megaphone. Clemont and Bonnie covered their ears. "Still works good as new!" Kuzuki clipped it on his belt and zipped up his bag. "Anything missing that I should know about?" Kuzuki asked as he put the backpack on his back.

"Yeah, I used one of your herbal medicine to heal Meowth and Swinub." Ash clarified.

Kuzuki hummed. "As long as it was used as intended then I'm fine with it "

When Bonnie discovered that Clemont momentarily forgot about the cake business, she tugged Kuzuki's shirt. "There was also a girly bracelet in there. It was pink and had the word best on it!"

Kuzuki froze, something clicked in his brain. "A bracelet? I don't remember having that. Where is it?"

"She has it." Bonnie pointed to Serena who was still sluggishly walking. Kuzuki spotted the bracelet wrapped around her wrist. The boy left the three and marched towards Serena.

Serena heard the footsteps of Kuzuki and the fierce look on his eyes. Naturally, she backed away.

"Wait. I just want to see the bracelet on your wrist. It looks sort of familiar." Serena jumped at those words. Maybe his memory was coming back. She took off the bracelet fast and handed it to Kuzuki.

"Hmm." Kuzuki inspected the bracelet all around. Serena grasped her bracelet and untangled it from her hair. "I've seen this somewhere," Kuzuki mumbled. Serena's gleeful expression accelerated. Forget about the attitude a few minutes ago, Kuzuki is about to remember their friendship. More importantly, her.

"It's on the tip of my tongue." Serena so badly wanted to go up to his face and shout it out to him. He was close, close to remembering something really important. "Meh." Kuzuki shrugged his shoulders and tossed the bracelet to a nearby bush as if it was garbage.

Serena stood there, shaking left and right. Did he just? He did! He just threw away the symbolism of their friendship to rot in that bush, not looking the least bit remorseful at all. Serena always rolled her eyes when she heard someone say that they felt heartbroken. It sounded like the most cliché thing anyone could say. But right now, she finally understood what they meant. Her heart truly did feel like it shattered into a million pieces. She hated this dreadful feeling.

"Guess it was nothing. I don't even know why I even have that stupid thing in the first place. It's pink first of all. And second, who the heck puts best on a bracelet? What's it suppose to mean anyway? Best waste of space to carry? Most definitely." Kuzuki chuckled at his word play and turned to catch up with his unmoving friends.

Serena was seething with fury. All those things he said about their bracelet. It was his idea in the first place! It's suppose to remind him that they were best friends till' the end. Not trash that an idiot throws on the ground. Serena could feel the blood boiling from within her. She wasn't going to take it anymore. No more keeping her anger in. As fast as a cheetah, she grabbed Kuzuki by the shoulder, her nails digging through his shirt and flipped him around forcefully. He almost tripped while doing so. When he met her eye, Serena set her hand way back in the air and slammed the palm of her hand hard on Kuzuki's cheek. The slap caused him to this time, fall on the ground.

Serena could hear the gasps from her friends but she didn't care. She wasn't done yet. Serena pounced on Kuzuki, not letting him get up, and start slapping both of his cheeks rapidly. The tears in her eyes splattered all over his body. She ignored the protests of her friends in favor of hitting Kuzuki some more. Man did she feel so free. All the anger caused by Kuzuki was being unleashed on Kuzuki himself. This is what he gets for being in her life.

"Woah woah stop it girl!" Kuzuki grabbed both of her wrists and stared at her dead in the eye. "The heck is your problem!?" Kuzuki felt Serena try to wiggle out of his grasp and pulled her in a bear hug. "Are you going to calm down now?" He was answered with her arms flailing everywhere. He applied more pressure. Her entire face was being slithered by his chest. Kuzuki was relieved when she started to submit. Her arms wrapped around his body and Kuzuki could hear her sigh.

"Geez louise. And I thought Misty hit hard." He turned to his appalled friends. "What's the deal with your friend? Why did she just attack me like that?"

Bonnie was the one to speak up. "Because you forgot her!"

"But I asked her if I could get to know her again since Officer Jenny told me that I knew her before. She totally blew me off," Kuzuki argued.

"Really? Hmm, this'll be harder to figure out. What did you do prior to the whole fiasco?" Clemont asked.

"Well, I went over to her when Bonnie said that she had some bracelet that belongs to me. I asked for it because it sounded and looked so familiar. But I couldn't crack the case so I tossed it over there." Kuzuki tilted his head to the bush.

"Ohh..." Ash found the problem. "She attacked you because of the bracelet!"

"All because of a stupid bracelet?!" Kuzuki exclaimed.

"Apparently from what I know it's more than just some stupid bracelet. Why don't you see what she has in her hand," Ash suggested.

Kuzuki scoffed, not seeing the point but did so anyone. He took Serena's right hand and pried them apart. To his surprise there was a bracelet similar to his. Very similar.

"Friends," He read. Then it hit him. "Ivysaur, could you fetch me that bracelet that I threw in that bush?"

"Ivy!" Ivysaur cried out. He ran to the bush and came back with the bracelet in his mouth. The seed pokemon handed it to his trainer.

"Thanks." Kuzuki took a good look at his bracelet, then hers. He joined them close to each other. "Best friends…"

"Huh?" Ash only knew of one bracelet. The one Serena had was completely new to him. He thought that they shared the one Kuzuki has. "Kuzuki?"

Kuzuki's mind was elsewhere.

 ** _Flashback_**

 _Young Kuzuki was currently sitting at the lunch table that he and Serena shared. Today's course was Make Your Own Sandwich day. Kuzuki grinned as he ate his sandwich bit by bit. He grabbed his napkin and dabbed it gently on the corner of his lips, getting rid of the bread crumbs lingering on his face._

 _Serena couldn't suppress her giggle. "You eat so funny!" She commented, taking a bite out of her own sandwich._

 _Kuzuki puffed his cheeks. "It's not my fault that I know the etiquette way of eating. I've been taught to eat like this for most of my life. How else would you eat?" Kuzuki asked._

 _"Like this." Serena took a rather large bite out of her sandwich and chewed it down fast. She then proceeded to slurp her straw and gulp down her orange juice. She quietly burped and flashed her friend a smile._

 _"Um…" Kuzuki didn't know what to say. He couldn't just flat out say that that was the grossest thing he ever saw in his life. He cringed at the sight of bread crumbs on her face._

 _"Hey you!" Someone call to them. It was a girl, about two years older than them. Kuzuki presumed that she was talking to Serena. Instead, her attention was to him. "Yeah, I'm talking to you!" The older girl pushed Serena out of her seat and sat down next to him. "What are you doing with that Serena? Everyone knows that she's a no good pig. I mean look at her. What a mess!"_

 _Serena consciously wiped the crumbs off of her face. She started to tear up a little at those words._

 _"Why would you hang out with someone like that? She could be using you to get people to forget about what clumsy things she's done to embarrass herself. No way someone as cool as you should be having her as company." She winked at him. "Come with me. My friends and I aren't slobs, clumsy, and we definitely don't cry for our moms."_

 _Serena's tears were more visible and she clung to Kuzuki's arm. Kuzuki moved away from the older girl with a mean glare. "As if! You're just a bully! Siri may be a little messy, somewhat clumsy, and cry from time to time but she's my best friend and I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world. Certainly not for some meanie who insults my friend. Besides." He smirked at her aghast face. "You have split ends right there. May want to deal with that."_

 _The whole cafeteria, whom were all listening, started laughing at his joke. The older girl turned beet red and attempted to cover up her hair._

 _"Let's go Siri." He took her hand and led Serena out of the Cafeteria. They wandered around the camp for a few minutes._

 _"Don't listen to what the mean girl said, Kuzuki told her._

 _Serena let out a wail. "B-but everything she said was true! I'm not all prim and proper like you. You should just leave me and go with that girl. I'm better off being all alone, I'm use to it."_

 _Kuzuki frowned and placed both hands on her shoulders. "You're right, you're not like me but that's why I like you. You're the first one not to treat me like I'm so highly sophisticated. I've been so done with acting like a proper gentleman but when I'm around you I can finally act like my true self.There's no way that I'd leave you. You're my best friend after all!" Kuzuki grinned as he showed her his bracelet._

 _Serena smiled gratefully and held her wrist next to his. "Best friends forever?"_

 _"Best friends forever."_

 ** _End of Flashback_**

"Kuzuki. Hello!" Ash waved his hand back and forth near his face. Kuzuki sat up straight. Serena fell to the ground as a result of this.

"It's starting to come to me," Kuzuki announced. Most, if not all of that particular memory was a blur to him. Kuzuki clenched his fists trying harder to remember.

"Messy eating...clumsy girl...mean girl...proper sophistication...best friends forever." Serena's youthful face appeared. "You! You and I...we were at this place when I was younger. I...you and I were friends. Bonnie was right!" Kuzuki beamed with happiness. "I'm starting to remember now! It might not be a clear image but it's something!"

"Yay!" Bonnie cheered.

"All right!" Ash shouted.

"That's wonderful Kuzuki!" Clemont said.

"Woohoo! This is the first big step in regain my memo-oof!" Kuzuki was tackled to the ground yet again. He looked up and yelped when he saw that it was Serena. He braced himself for the hits coming his way.

Serena hugged the boy tightly. Kuzuki awkwardly coughed.

"No offense but I still don't know you. That's just one tiny detail that I managed to recover," Kuzuki admitted.

Serena didn't seem fazed. Kuzuki exchanged looks with Bonnie. "Didn't you say that she hated my guts since I came during Lumiose City?" Bonnie shrugged, only caring that her two friends are getting along again. All the bad blood is gone, for now.

"Great! So you two are friends again!" Ash exclaimed.

"I guess. You don't seem that bad of a person and if we're going to travel together I'm going to need your help remembering my past." Serena nodded. "Now we should continue our journey to Cyllage City. I slowed us down enough already," Kuzuki said with a smile.

Ash returned the gesture. "If everything is cool between you two. No more hitting or arguing." They both nodded. "Then let's get to it! Cyllage City here we come!" Ash declared, jogging with Pikachu on his shoulder down the path.

"Ash wait!' Clemont sighed and ran to catch up.

"Race you big brother!" Bonnie zoomed as fast as lightning, already passing Clemont. She disappeared from Kuzuki's view much like Ash.

"Oh man," Clemont groaned and attempted to go faster.

"I guess that leaves us," Kuzuki speculated. "I'm not really in a running mood. Are you?" Serena shook her head. "Then let us continue forward!"

"Ivy! Ivysaur!" Ivysaur cried out, walking by his trainer's side. The two walked in a comfortable silence. Serena hummed softly as they walked.

"Serena." She finally spoke. Her first direct words to Kuzuki in years.

"Hmm?" Kuzuki questioned.

"Serena, that's my name," She replied. Kuzuki smiled and presented his hand again. This time, Serena shook it delightfully.

"You know Siri," He started. "I know we'll become the best of friends. Again in your case."

Serena felt her chest heat up. Even with his memories gone he still came up with the same nickname as before. "Siri?" Serena asked curiously, wondering his reasoning this time around.

"Yeah, it sounds better," Kuzuki answered. "Also, it'll help me remember to be serious when it comes to regaining my memories of you." Serena smiled widely and gently closed her eyes.

Yep, just like good old times.

 ** _Author's Note: Like I said at the beginning this is merely a filler for the upcoming chapter so it'll make sense when the "disaster" comes. Not much needed to be said, you can check back last chapter to know what's next. Kuzuki regained a piece of his memory and Serena stopped holding a grudge and stopped hitting Kuzuki silly. Stay tuned again for Chapter 12: A Pokévision Disaster!_**


	12. A Pokévision Disaster: Part One

_Chapter 12: A Pokévision Disaster_ : Part One

"Do you remember AJ?"

"Yeah, the guy with one hundred wins."

"What about the Squirtle Squad?"

"No duh! We both took a Squirtle for our team. How can I not remember where I found my own partner?"

"What about the Ghost of Maiden's Peak?"

"Heh, Brock and James were interested in her to say the least. That is until she was revealed to be a Gastly."

"Hmm...what about Jigglypuff?"

"Ugh, don't even get me started on her. Remember when she drew that-"

"Don't remind me! How about your...I don't know, special training!"

"Nice try." Kuzuki chuckled, figuring out what Ash was up to with that last question.

"Aw man." Ash snapped his fingers. "On the bright side you can remember our journey in the Kanto and Johto regions."

Currently, the group were continuing their journey to Cyllage City. They were also recalling past memories in order to see what Kuzuki could exactly remember. So far most of it was good news. Though, they were having trouble getting Kuzuki to remember a certain period during his past childhood. The other problem being his memories from a few months ago.

Clemont placed a hand on his chin. "From what I gathered up it seems that Kuzuki's mind forgotten about some of his childhood plus his recent memories. I suspect that older memories are harder to remember so that's why most of it is a blur for Kuzuki. Recent memories are easier to take away. Malamar must've had some serious power," Clemont summarized.

"Don't forget what Officer Jenny told us," Bonnie said. "Kuzuki was almost brainwashed by that meanie, Bradshaw. His mind was already weak."

"Yeah…" Kuzuki said awkwardly. He was uncomfortable that they were talking about him but he had no idea what they were exactly talking about. It was embarrassing that his friends knew more about his Kalos journey than Kuzuki himself.

"Don't worry." Serena gave him a smile. "We'll get you back to your old self."

Kuzuki returned the gesture. "That means a lot, Siri." Kuzuki had an idea pop in his head. "Say, why don't you tell me a story from that event thingy we went to when I was younger," He suggested.

"Really? Well there's this one time where w-"

"You mean Professor Oak's summer camp?" Ash interjected. "I can tell you about camp. I was there too. It's where we became friends," Ash said. Kuzuki beamed at his friend and motioned him to continue. Before Ash could do so.

Serena pushed herself beside Kuzuki. She never thought in her entire life that she'd say this to Ash. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…" She didn't know whether or not Kuzuki was starting to become a bad influence on her. She would never do that to Ash! But this is Kuzuki, this was her chance to rekindle their broken friendship. Serena was willing to set aside their differences and talk it out.

"Right. Sorry," Ash apologised. Bonnie's eyes widened at the scene. Serena huffed and turned her attention back to Kuzuki.

"You were such a sophisticated person back then. You'd act all prim and proper but drop it when we hang out." Serena giggled and latched onto his arm. "Your cluelessness to just about everything was amusing. You even needed help knowing how to use the water fountain!" Kuzuki flushed as everyone shared a laugh.

"Oh man, really?"

"Oh hey!" Ash exclaimed. "I remember seeing you stare at a water fountain and I was about to ask y-"

"I had to teach you that you press a button to make it work. Not that it automatically turns on by itself." Serena cut off Ash abruptly. Ash frowned before smiling. He was just happy that his friends were getting along. "It's just so silly seeing how you turned up today."

"I guess…" Kuzuki coughed awkwardly. He didn't know why this girl was so touchy. It also didn't help that she was still almost like a complete stranger to him.

"I still remember the day where I found out about one of your secrets…" She ignored the alarmed look on Kuzuki's face. "It was an ordinary evening. We were having dinner…"

 ** _Flashback_**

 _Young Kuzuki and Serena were currently enjoying their last meal of the day. Today's course was macaroni and cheese shaped like many types of pokemon. The two had their backpacks with them._ Kuzuki's being larger in size.

 _"Are you ready for the nighttime hike?" Serena asked Kuzuki, making sure not to speak with her mouth full. She didn't want Kuzuki to feel uncomfortable._

 _Today was the day that their two cabins get their turn to go hiking in the night. Serena got moved to the Poliwag cabin. The kids there aren't mean to her. They just let her be. Which was why Serena spent most of her time outside with Kuzuki. Both of their cabins involve water type pokemon which was why their cabins are going together._

 _"You bet I am Siri!" Kuzuki smiled brightly. "I never been outside at night before! Or even sleep outside. Who knows? Maybe we'll encounter some nocturnal pokemon. Oh! Maybe we'll see some sleeping pokemon that won't run away." Kuzuki's excitement washed onto Serena. It also helped ease her nerves. She didn't want to admit to Kuzuki that the dark normally terrified her._

 _"Y-yep. Do you know what we'll be doing other than hiking?" Serena asked_

 _Kuzuki shook his head. "Nope. Our camp counselor Gable, was sick for most of this week. He still is. He told me that he won't be coming with us. Even my friend caught the cold. He won't be showing up either." Kuzuki was disappointed that his friend, Ash wasn't coming. He was so ecstatic about the night hike._

 _Serena hummed. "That's a coincidence. The camp counselor for the Poliwag cabin, Rea, is also sick. She's going to miss the trip too!"_

 _Kuzuki pondered about the situation. "I wonder who's taking us then." Like magic, the doors to the cafeteria opened and a camp counselor appeared._

 _"Squirtle cabin! Poliwag cabin!" It was none other than Camp counselor Chad! "I, Chad from Weedle cabin, will be your temporary guide during the night trip!"_

 _"Aw man," Kuzuki groaned. Serena was the same. Chad reminded her of her early camp days, when she was still in Bulbasaur cabin. The counselor there had a crush on Chad. Serena remembered how Kuzuki used that as blackmail against her. She shuddered at the reminder._

 _"Don't fret. Luckily I graciously accepted the offer to take you guys out or else you all would've missed it," Chad explained._

 _"Guess that makes him our hero," Kuzuki muttered. Serena giggled at his annoyed behavior._

 _"Follow me campers! Our first activity is to hike until the sun goes down." Camp counselor Chad left the cafeteria. The campers from the two cabins got up and followed Chad outside._

 _"To adventure!" Kuzuki bolted out of his seat and out the door. Serena had an uneasy feeling about the whole trip. Nevertheless, she walked out of the cafeteria to catch up with her friend. Kuzuki stood outside the door. Serena smiled sweetly at him, he waited just for her. She loved the benefits of having a friend._

 _"Come on, Siri! Chad is already climbing up that hill!" Kuzuki pointed to the counselor, who was walking up the hill with a stick to support his climbing. The boy grabbed her wrist and quickly scurried ahead to catch up with everyone else._

 _"Alright campers." Chad spoke. "While we're exploring the wonderful outdoors, why don't we have ourselves a little contest?" Kuzuki's ears perked up. "For every pokemon we see, you all have to call out its name and proper category. Whoever has the most points at the end of the hike wins!" Chad beamed as everyone buzzed with excitement. Oh how he loved his job! Just then, something was shaking in a bush._

 _"It's Caterpie, the worm pokemon!" Kuzuki shouted._

 _"That's right. Congrats little dude!" Chad praised. Serena clapped for her friend. The hike in the forest was eventful to say the least. Chad started to worry as some of the campers were starting to get annoyed of one particular camper._

 _"A male Nidoran, the poison pin pokemon!"_

 _"Oddish, the weed pokemon!"_

 _"Diglett, the mole pokemon"_

 _"Bellsprout, the flower pokemon!"_

 _"Tangela, the vine pokemon!"_

 _"Wow! Bulbasaur, the seed pokemon!" Kuzuki went over and petted Bulbasaur._

 _Chad grimaced. "Correct. That's twenty-four points for the little dude." Most of the campers grumbled, Kuzuki called out every pokemon that they came across. He was the only one with points._

 _"All that excessive schooling is coming handy," Kuzuki whispered to Serena. The girl merely nodded, feeling uncomfortable at the stares coming from some of the campers. This was due to not being given a chance to respond. Suddenly, a yellow bipedal pokemon popped out of the bushes. It had brown spikes coming from its back. Its claws shined dimly from the setting sun. It eyed the campers curiously._

 _"It's S-"_

 _"Why don't you let someone else answer?" Chad said quickly before Kuzuki had a chance to answer. The boy in response sighed sadly. "Well?" He scanned the other campers who stared at the pokemon. All with confused expressions. Chad fell to the ground, shocked that no one had a clue as to who that pokemon was._

 _"That's a Sandslash, the mouse pokemon. It's the evolved form of Sandshrew," Serena answered shyly. Everyone was relieved that she was the one to answer and not Kuzuki._

 _"Correct! And props for knowing that it's an evolved form of a pokemon." Serena flushed at the attention she was receiving. Kuzuki patted her on the back, proud of her knowledge._

 _"I only got it because I remember you telling me at one point," She told Kuzuki._

 _"Hey, at least you were actually paying attention to my rants." Kuzuki flashed her a toothy grin. They continued their hike and came upon a clear opening._

 _Chad motioned them to stop. "This is where we'll be setting up. Everyone, set up your tents while I go and look for wood," Chad requested before heading out to nearby trees, looking for branches and logs. Everyone chattered up a conversation as they pitched their tents._

 _Kuzuki unzipped his backpack and pulled out his tent. Serena nudged his shoulder. "What is it, Siri?" He asked, noticing the concerned look on her face._

 _"I didn't know we had to bring tents," She squeaked nervously._

 _Kuzuki's eyes widened. "You didn't!? Where did you think we were sleeping, the ground?" Kuzuki's demeanour softened when he saw how frightened she was._

 _"I-I d-d-don't want to sleep on the floor at night," Serena whimpered. She clutched her backpack tightly._

 _"Hey." Kuzuki placed a hand on her shoulder. "We could share mine."_

 _Serena frowned. "It's probably not big enough for both of us. I don't want to intrude either."_

 _Kuzuki waved her off. "It's no problem. I wouldn't want you sleeping on the nature floor. My tent is big enough for both of us. Besides, what are friends for?" Kuzuki replied as he set his tent on the floor. Serena felt herself warm up to his words. "If you can help me out here that'll be really nice."_

 _"Of course!" Serena rushed to Kuzuki's side. The two pitched the poles to the ground rather fast. Kuzuki grabbed the top part of the tent and pulled it all the way up. Serena gasped as the tent revealed its true size. "Wow, it's huge!" The crimson tent stood taller than the two. Serena guessed it was at least Chad's height. There was plenty of room for her._

 _"Dad didn't want me to suffer too much when camping outdoors so he bought me this." Kuzuki opened the zipper of the tents entranced. "Let's put our stuff in here." Kuzuki was already inside by the time Serena grabbed her backpack. She didn't fail to notice the looks that the campers were giving. They weren't even halfway done with their tents. Serena did her best to ignore them and went in._

 _The tent was much bigger on the inside. Kuzuki set his backpack down and pulled out a deflated mattress. He then pulled out a small air pump and connected it to the mattress. Serena watched as her friend began pumping air into his soon to be air mattress. The air mattress turned out to be the size of a small bed._

 _"Um…" Serena felt herself flush, too embarrassed to say something crucial to Kuzuki. "I kinda…"_

 _"Yes?" Kuzuki pressed on for her to continue while he put his air pump back into his backpack and pulled out a pillow and a blanket patterned with pokeballs._

 _"...I-I don't really have something to sleep on either…" She mumbled loud enough for Kuzuki to hear. She could Kuzuki sigh which made her feel even worse. Serena pulled down her hat to cover her shame._

 _"Seriously Siri? Did you even pack anything for this trip." Kuzuki walked over to her and grabbed her backpack. He peered in the bag. "Well there's a hair brush, some hair clips, a night mask, pajamas, and your pokédoll of Squirtle. Did you even try to prepare for this trip. I was more prepared than you and this is my first time going camping!"_

 _Serena hugged herself, not liking her friend scolding her for being unprepared. It was one of the worst feelings that she experienced so far. Kuzuki noticed her almost tearing up and comforted the girl._

 _"Don't cry Siri. I'm not mad or anything, just surprised. It's okay if you forgot about the sleep arrangements. Really. I got a spare sleeping bag that I brought if my mattress decided to not fill itself with air." Kuzuki ran to his backpack and took out his sleeping bag. It had images of the three kanto starter pokemon on it. "As if I'd leave my friend to sleep on the ground. If I didn't bring the sleeping bag I'd let you sleep on the bed."_

 _Serena held back a choked sob and wiped the tears off of her face. Sometimes she wondered what camp would've been if she hadn't met Kuzuki. She'd continued to be friendless and mope around all day long. With Kuzuki, her first friend, she didn't have to worry about that anymore. He had her back and she had his._

 _"Thank you Kuzuki. I really mean it," Serena thanked as she brush some of her hair away from her eyes._

 _"No problem. We should go and see if Chad's back," Kuzuki suggested. Serena nodded and the two exited the tent. When they did they could hear Chad approaching._

 _"Campers! I've gotten enough wood to-woah!" Chad dropped the pile of sticks out of his hands when he saw the size of Kuzuki's tent. "Geez, this kid sure is something," Chad said to himself as he picked up the fallen pieces of wood. He placed them in a pile and then went back to drag several logs that served as seats._

 _Chad then proceeded to pick up two sticks. He grinned at the campers. "Watch as I start a fire with just two sticks!" Everyone watched with anticipation as Chad started furiously rubbing the two sticks together. The excitement soon turned into boredom. Ten minutes have passed and still no fire. "I don't know why this isn't working," Chad grumbled, his face red from applying too much pressure._

 _A wild Vulpix trotted towards the struggling counselor and stared at him curiously. Seeing Chad's distress, Vulpix walked to the pile of sticks and realeased a small burst of fire from its mouth. Everyone cheered when the campfire lit up._

 _"Uh yes." Chad petted the Vulpix. "As you just saw I was close to sparking a fire until Vulpix decided to help out. What do we say to the nice Vulpix everyone?"_

 _"Thank you Vulpix!" They all cried out. Chad fed it a couple of berries. "Right, now that we got the fire going we should make ourselves some s'mores!" At the mention of s'mores, everyone scampered and fetched a couple of graham crackers, marshmallows, and pieces of chocolate._

 _"Don't forget to grab a stick and then start roasting those marshmallows!" Chad advised them. Kuzuki grabbed his materials last and sat down next to Serena._

 _"So...how do I do this?" Kuzuki asked. He inspected his marshmallow and graham crackers._

 _"You never had s'mores before?" Serena was dumbfounded when she saw her friend shake his head. "Here let me show you!" Serena nabbed her stick and pierced her marshmallow in the middle. Kuzuki followed her demonstration. "Now you set it near the campfire and wait for it to get all nice and toasty!" Serena placed her stick near the fire. Kuzuki did the same and they both waited patiently._

 _"Let's check on our marshmallows." Serena's eyes sparkled when she saw her marshmallow turn a perfect golden brown. It's the first time she did it so perfectly._

 _"Aw..." Kuzuki's marshmallow was very different than Serena's. Instead of it being golden brown it was mostly all burnt. Serena tried her best not to burst out laughing. He put his marshmallow to far in the fire. She couldn't look at someone's failed attempt and not laugh. Kuzuki seemed like he was about to tear up._

 _"Not to worry camper. Camp counselor Chad to the rescue!" Chad came over and handed Kuzuki his marshmallow in exchange for his burnt one._

 _"Thank you Chad." Kuzuki took the marshmallow graciously. The counselor smiled and went back to his position. The boy turned to Serena. "Now what?"_

 _Serena grabbed one of her graham crackers and placed it below her marshmallow. Next, she placed the pieces of chocolate on top of the marshmallow and squashed the other graham cracker on top of it._

 _"That's it?" Kuzuki repeated her actions and stared at the s'more hesitantly._

 _"What's wrong?" Serena asked, taking a bite of her s'more. She groaned in delight, her taste buds soaring._

 _"It looks messy," Kuzuki complained. Seeing the chocolate smudged on the corner of her lips further proved his point._

 _"It's yummy. Getting a bit messy won't hurt you," Serena replied. Kuzuki watched Serena happily eat her s'more. He took a deep breath and nervously took a bite. His eyes bulged opened in shock. Kuzuki devoured his s'more within seconds._

 _"And I thought you were more sophisticated than that." Kuzuki ignored his friend's words and patted his belly contentedly. The night's moon illuminated above them. Once Chad saw that they all finished a devious smile formed on his lips._

 _"Who's up for some…" Chad turned on his flashlight and directed it to his face. "..scary stories!"_

 _One of the campers hand rose up. "Ooh me me pick me!" The camper swiped the flashlight from Chad's grasp, eager to share his tale._

 _"Once there was a pokemon trainer by the name of Red! He was a very powerful trainer. His starter pokemon was a Pikachu. Now this wasn't an ordinary Pikachu. Red noticed this during the middle of his journey. One night, Red pretended to be asleep so that he could follow his Pikachu when it roamed around at night. He found his Pikachu behind a tree and Red couldn't believe it. There, there was a…." Everyone was at the edge of their seats. "...a Ditto disguised as Pikachu all along!" The camper shouted as loud as he could. To his shock, no one screamed in terror._

 _"That wasn't very scary!" A girl camper told him._

 _"B-but it was-"_

 _"Alright, let the professionals handle this." Chad grabbed the flashlight back from the sad camper. "Let me tell you all the story of the ghost of Lavender Town." In an instant, half the campers bolted to their tents. The remaining campers shivered in fear. "Looks like they already heard the story. I don't blame them for running. It's pretty spooky."_

 _Kuzuki listened on with interest. "There was this pokemon trainer named Blue and he owned a Raticate. One day he decided to visit Lavender Town. He immediately felt uncomfortable by the eerie atmosphere. Blue felt shivers go up his spine every two minutes. He heard a voice call out to him. Its voice haunted his mind. It said, 'come to me for I will show you the real truth behind training your pokemon.' " More campers started to go in their tents in fright. Only four campers remained. The camper who told the awful story, the girl who told him how awful it was, Kuzuki, and Serena. Serena gripped Kuzuki's right arm frighteningly. Kuzuki was annoyed by how_ _much her constant shivering distracted him from the story._

 _"Blue's Raticate fled to a random direction after the voice was finished. Blue, concerned for his pokemon, followed the Raticate around town. It was dark which did nothing to ease Blue's nerves. The Raticate ran into a building named the Pokémon Tower. Blue slowly walked inside. He could hear maniacal laughter from all directions. The voice telling him, 'come inside and you'll surely find a nice surprise waiting for you.' Blue could hear footsteps from behind but turned to find nothing there. Entering the building he found the many tombstones for pokemon. In the middle of everything is what made him scream! There, was his Raticate laying there….DEAD!" Chad yelled. Serena squealed loudly and latched on to Kuzuki's body. "The end. Goodnight campers!" Chad merrily said and went in his own tent._

 _Kuzuki felt a rush of thrill flowing through his veins. The scary story was one that he'll never forget anytime soon. His attention directed to the shaking Serena. He pulled himself off of her._

 _"Come on Siri, it's time to go to sleep." Kuzuki started to leave with Serena quickly latching herself back onto his arm. Kuzuki let Serena enter first so she could get ready for bed. After a few minutes he entered to see Serena on his sleeping bag. She hugged her Squirtle pokédoll tightly. Kuzuki didn't think too much about it and put on his pajamas. He catapulted to his bed and wrapped himself in his blanket._

 _"Goodnight, Siri!" Kuzuki was met with a squeak in response. Shrugging, he drifted off to sleep._

 _Serena was freaking out. The scary story still in her mind. Also the fact that she hated the dark. She could hear the sounds of wild pokemon rustling past the leaves on the ground. Serena was almost at her breaking point._

 _"Caw!" A wild Pidgey squawked loudly. Serena jumped from her sleeping bag and landed on Kuzuki's bed. The boy jolted awake._

 _"Huh!? What's going on..." The boy tiredly rubbed his eyes. He noticed Serena hugging his leg. A few tears spilled from her eyes. "Siri, what's wrong?"_

 _The girl turned red from embarrassment. "I-I'm afraid of the dark," She admitted. Kuzuki got up and sat next to Serena. She was too embarrassed to say anything. She was pretty sure that Kuzuki will tease her into oblivion._

 _"That's all right," Kuzuki consoled her. "It's nothing to be ashamed about. We're all afraid of something. How about I tell you one of my fears." Serena nodded. "Gosh this is so embarrassing. I was once afraid of going outside."_

 _"Really? Why would you be afraid of something like that?" Serena asked, bewildered by the news._

 _"My dad always kept me inside. He said that it wasn't important to go outside and that I should focus on studying at the library in our house. One day I got too curious and decided to go outside while my dad was having a meeting in his officer. I only took a few steps outside when suddenly a Spearow swooped in and started pecking me repeatedly. Luckily my dad heard the commotion and came out as fast as he could before any real damage could be done. My dad forbidden me to go outside ever again. Not like I ever wanted to anyway," Kuzuki revealed._

 _"Then what happened. You're outside now. How did you conquer your fear?" Serena asked curiously._

 _"That's all thanks to my mother." Kuzuki chuckled. "She forced me to go to this called the Safari Zone. My father agreed to this so I wouldn't be scared to go to my first day of school. The Safari Zone was so cool! There was all kinds of different pokemon. The kind man Kaiser, let me and my mom go and observe the pokemon. He was a bit scary at first but when my mom told him that we were just there to see the pokemon and let us go and enjoy petting the pokemon. There was this really nice Ponyta that let me ride it across the field. It was one of the best days of my life! That's how I got over_ _my fear," Kuzuki finished, a smile on his face remembering the past._

 _Serena looked up at him. "Do you think I can get rid of my fear of the dark?"_

 _"I know you can," Kuzuki answered confidently. "It may be scary because you can't see that well at night but there isn't anything that can hurt you. Most of the pokemon are sleeping right now. The ones awake are probably looking for food like berries. Honestly, I prefer the day over night because I can observe the pokemon clearer." Serena twiddled her fingers shyly._

 _"Thanks Kuzuki. I think I can sleep more soundly now." She gave him a lingering hug and headed back to the sleeping bag. Her eyes slowly started to droop, the weariness of today's events taking its toll on her._

 _"Night Siri."_

 _"Good night Kuzuki."_

 ** _End of Flashback_**

"That pep talk really did help me out with my fear," Serena commented. All Kuzuki did was nod and smile awkwardly. Just how much did he tell this girl about him? He never told anyone about being scared to go outside. He assumed that she must've been pretty special for him to even share that fear.

"Aw man. That all sounded like fun! Why did I have to get ill," Ash whined. "Wait a minute. How come you never told me that you were afraid of going outside?" He wondered out loud.

"It's something that I don't really share. Don't take personally. I don't even recall anyone even knowing that except for my parents." Kuzuki eyed Serena waringly.

"Oh, guess I shouldn't have shared that personal story." Serena smiled sheepishly.

"It's all right. I had to tell my friends that at some point."

"That must've been why you insisted that we go to the Safari Zone that one time," Ash said.

Clemont adjusted his glasses. "It amazes me that Kuzuki remembers his agoraphobia. It makes me wonder why he forgot that specific time in his life. That being his camp experience."

Kuzuki shrugged. "Beats me."

"So if you don't remember camp then do you remember our first time meeting each other then?" Ash asked.

"I remember crushing one of those sisters of the Cerulean City gym. Violet, she was devastated. Some other girl came in after I collected my badge. I never got her name but she wore a white hat and challenged Lily. I stuck around the city for a while to watch the gym battles. Gary Oak showed up a day later and he annihilated Daisy. Afterwards you came in and immediately went over to talk to me. You talked about how we met before. I don't exactly remember when we first met, you know because of the whole memory loss thing. But you've been my friend for the early parts of our journey so naturally I consider you one of my oldest friends regardless." Kuzuki was clearly lost in fond memories.

"That's good to know."

Kuzuki turned back to Serena. "Since you remember our time at this camp. Are there any bad things that happened that I don't know about? I've been hearing good things so far so I'm wondering if there was any negatives at this camp."

Serena flinched. She took a glance at her hands and saw that they were shaking. Calming herself, she faced Kuzuki. "No. Nothing terrible happened," She quickly replied. Kuzuki sighed in relief, though the same couldn't be said for their other friends.

"Are you sure Serena." Bonnie eyed her suspiciously. "You were pretty angry at Kuzuki when he came back at Lumiose City. Something must've happened," She accused her.

"Now that I think about it, Bonnie does have a point," Clemont added in. Serena gulped, beads of sweat started dropping from her head.

"Hey if anything bad happened just tell me now. It's not like I'm going to get super mad since I can't even remember to begin with." Kuzuki waited for her response.

Serena took a deep breath and avoided his eyes. "It was nothing. We just had a mild disagreement, that's all." She lied cooly. Everyone but Kuzuki still had their focus on her. "Uh...hey look! There's the pokemon center!" Serena pointed up ahead.

"Oh there is one!"

"Finally!"

"I can finally give my legs a rest."

"I wonder if there's anything interesting in this town." Kuzuki began running to check the small town out only to be stopped by Bonnie. She pulled on his shirt, causing him to fall down.

"Ow! Why did you stop me!?"

"In case you haven't noticed," Bonnie started, irritated. "You're in no shape to be seen in public. Look at you!"

Kuzuki examined himself. His clothes were hanging by shreds. "But this is what I always wear! Is that why you made me stay at the pokemon center while you all ditched me to go to the Battle Chateau?"

Bonnie huffed. "Obviously. You can't go out looking like that! We had enough stares last time. You must go find some new clothes!"

Kuzuki groaned. "But I hate shopping for clothes. It's the worse," He whined.

"Which is why I'll be the one going with you!" Bonnie declared.

Kuzuki had a question mark appear on top of his head. "Huh!? But why do you need to go with me. I'm perfectly capable of shopping on my own."

Bonnie eyed both Clemont and Kuzuki. "Last time I didn't go with someone clothes shopping was with Clemont. It's safe to say that I'm an essential part of shopping for clothes."

Clemont gasped. "Huh!? What's wrong with what I'm wearing!?" Clemont exclaimed, appalled by his sisters words.

"What's not wrong with it," She whispered to herself. The younger sibling heard Kuzuki snicker. "Come on Kuzuki! We got to go immediately. It might take all day for us to find your perfect style." She grabbed his wrist and started pulling him to a nearby store. Kuzuki's pleading eyes were the last thing that the remaining three saw.

"Should we go make sure Kuzuki's okay?" Clemont suggested.

Ash smirked. "I don't know. I could go for a smoothie."

 ** _In the clothing store..._**

"Wah!" Kuzuki yelped. He was literally being dragged from the ground by an ecstatic Bonnie. She never got to pick out someone's clothes before. They entered a clothing store and ignored the weird looks that they were getting. She dropped Kuzuki's hand and dashed to the boy's section.

"Come on Kuzuki."

Kuzuki crossed his arms and turned the other way. "I shop at the mens section," He informed her sternly.

Bonnie sighed. "All right manly man I'm sure there's a section for extra extra small there." Kuzuki felt his pride being ripped away as he reluctantly walked to the boys section. Bonnie smirked triumphantly.

"Ooh! Try this one out. No, this one. Maybe this. Wait, this one! Nah this one right here looks fabulous. Perhaps this one right over here-"

"I believe this is more suited for my standards." Kuzuki cut her off and grabbed a lilac shirt off the hanger and grey khaki shorts. He grinned mischievously.

"Hey! That's just the same thing that you were wearing before!" Bonnie objected.

"That's the point." Kuzuki didn't pay attention to her protest and walked over to the cash register.

"One day…" Bonnie grumbled and followed Kuzuki out the door.

 ** _One shopping spree later..._**

"Delicious!" Ash happily slurped his blueberry smoothie.

"Quite the delectable taste," Clemont complimented, drinking his mango smoothie.

"Absolutely marvelous." Serena drank her strawberry smoothie.

"Save me some!" Bonnie's voice rang through Clemont's ears.

"Oops, all gone. Sorry, Bonnie." Bonnie fumed with fury. The three then noticed Kuzuki's new wardrobe.

"Wow, looking classy Kuzuki!" Ash praised.

"Fabulous!" Serena chimed in.

"Interesting choice." Clemont nodded.

Bonnie almost screamed her head off. "It's literally the same thing that he was wearing before!" Her anger reached an all time high when they all ignored her.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur and Pikachu laughed at her misfortune. She glared at the two pokemon who instantly stopped.

"Don't pout Bonnie. I'm sure you'll have similar tastes as mine when you get older." Kuzuki arrogantly grinned.

Bonnie smiled evilly. "You know, I heard there was a cobbler somewhere around here."

Kuzuki froze. Shoe shopping was even worse than clothes shopping. In a panic, Kuzuki fished a round object from his pockets.

 ** _Kuzuki used Smoke Bomb!_**

 ** _He missed!_**

"Ah!" Kuzuki sputtered, his eyes becoming hazy once again. "Ivysaur, help me buddy." He began swiping all directions to locate the seed pokemon. Kuzuki trudged forward, not knowing that he was heading to the pokemon center. "Hiyah!" He barged through the doors and rampaged all around the room.

"Young man, are you all right?" Nurse Joy asked with worry. She approached the boy.

"Gee what gave you that idea?" Kuzuki attempted to roll his eyes but to no avail. Nurse Joy placed her soft fingers on his left eye and opened his eyelid. She started blowing into his eye.

"WHAT!?" Ash's screeching voice made Kuzuki stumble. "Brock is so going to be jealous!"

"Eh? What?" Kuzuki rubbed his eyes.

"No way! You guys aren't going to believe it! Nurse Joy was kissing Kuzuki!"

"WHAT!?" Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Kuzuki, and Nurse Joy exclaimed. Fennekin and Chespin were let out, most likely because they were about to get checked by Nurse Joy.

"You got the wrong idea Ash! I didn't even know I was here," Kuzuki tried to explain. The Nurse Joy turned red and ran back to her original position. Fennekin and Chespin followed.

"Didn't seem like it."

"I promise! She was just blowing on my eye!"

"If you say so. Not sure what Misty-"

"Don't tell Misty, please!" Kuzuki begged, getting on his knees. He collapsed on the floor, defeated.

"Guess I was wrong." Kuzuki grudgingly stood back up. He glared at Ash, his eyes fully recovered.

"Don't you dare use Misty as blackmail! That's just cold, Ash Ketchum!" Kuzuki yelled at his friend. Ash laughed in response.

"Ay ay ay." Bonnie sweatdropped.

"Never thought I'd see Kuzuki beg," Clemont deadpanned, not used to seeing Kuzuki in such a state.

"Misty…" Serena muttered. Just then a familiar voice was heard by Kuzuki.

"And continuing our rankings, number seven! Kadabra the magician!" Kids watched on with awe as Kadabra started lifting about twenty spoons with his telekinesis. The spoons were then lit on fire and were being juggled without care.

"Pokévision!" Kuzuki and Bonnie scurried to a nearby bench. Serena and Clemont received their pokemon back and sat down next to the two along with Ash. Fennekin made herself comfortable next to Kuzuki while Serena sat next to her pokemon. Bonnie was at Kuzuki's left. Chespin hopped beside Serena's right. Ash and Clemont chose to stand. Kuzuki and Bonnie were on the edge of their seats, marveled by the next Pokévision.

"Coming in number six, whack a Diglett!" The next video showed four Digletts popping in and out of their holes. A Slowpoke fell to the ground, dizzy from the movement. Kuzuki and Bonnie snickered, amused by the video.

"We reached number five in our top ten! And it's snow capped Onix!" An Onix appeared, giving shelter to its trainer during a blizzard.

"Never seen Pokévision before," Ash admitted. Kuzuki and Bonnie were too enthralled to hear him.

"That's funny because everyone has heard of Pokévision," Serena replied

Clemont stepped in. "Pokévision refers to promotional videos that trainers create themselves!"

"That's so cool!" Ash piped in. "I wish I knew what that meant!" Serena and Clemont sighed at Ash's comment.

"Next we bring you video number four, the beauty of Joy!" The video showed Nurse Joy and Wigglytuff running through a field while holding hands.

"PokéVision is a way for trainers to introduce their pokemon. It can even show the bond between trainers and Pokémon like this video!" Serena explained to Ash.

"Trainers upload their videos on an online site, and the Pokévision top ten list is based on the viewers rankings they receive," Clemont lectured Ash.

Kuzuki chuckled and patted himself on the chest. "You know Ash, I make Pokévisions too. With high ratings as well!" Kuzuki boasted. Serena and Ash were astonished by this. Clemont and Bonnie nodded, already knowing what he said was true.

"You do?" Serena and Ash said in unison.

"You bet!" He responded joyfully.

"How come I never knew? I always watch Pokévision when they're around." Serena asked.

Kuzuki's smile wavered. "Uh well you see, I never make it to the top ten." Kuzuki's face flushed from the confession.

"Top twenty though!" Bonnie reminded him.

"Wait, really?" Bonnie facepalmed, forgetting that Kuzuki wouldn't know since the time she told him was erased from his memories.

"On to number three, Kuzuki Sakai, Swinub and the icy predicament. Guest starring Lumiose City gym leader, Clemont!" The figure announced.

"What!?" Kuzuki sprang from his seat and rushed towards the screen. Clemont quickly cleaned his glasses and put them back on, not believing what he was seeing. Bonnie cheered when Kuzuki's name was announced.

 _"...now Swinub, use Icy Wind!" Kuzuki commanded. Swinub released a burst of ice and engulfed it with the wall. The wall turned icy solid. "Awesome job Swinub! Oh man. We got to defrost this wall before Clemont sees this, quick!"_

"It's me! It really is me!" Kuzuki celebrated with Ivysaur. The adults and kids around clapped politely for his accomplishment. "Woohoo! I don't even remember shooting this video!" Kuzuki jumped to the air while Ivysaur huffed.

 _"My wall!"_

Both Pokévision Clemont and the real Clemont gasped loudly. There, was Clemont in his pajamas. His face was all grumpy.

"Oh no!" Clemont buried his face with his hands. His whole dramatic outburst was seen by everyone in Kalos, maybe even further. It was his job as gym leader to appear presentable. What will his father say?

" _Oh no. We've been spotted. Stay tuned for the next video! Goodby-ah!" Kuzuki yelped as Clemont started to chase him._

The video ended soon after. Kuzuki took a bow and headed back to his seat, his mood shooting through the roof. He was jumping in his seat.

"Did you guys see that!? My Pokévision ranking in the top three! I'm truly awestruck." Everyone but the upset Clemont smiled at Kuzuki.

"See? I knew you could do it!" Bonnie congratulated him. "And you even got a cameo, Clemont!"

"Right…" Clemont slumped his shoulders and groaned for the umpteenth time.

"Video number two, Psyduck at twilight." The next video presented a stray Psyduck staring at the sunset, motionless.

Kuzuki's eyes twitched. "I got beaten by a Psyduck!?" He fumed, his ego struck hard.

"But Psyduck is such a cutie pie!" Bonnie defended. Her cheeks growing rosy.

"Number one should be Aria. No doubt about that," Kuzuki said to himself.

"Who?" Ash asked.

"And now for this week's number one!" The figure was about to answer Ash's question. "Aria and Fennekin's life of an idol!" The video cut to a pink haired girl and her Fennekin. Serena's Fennekin grew intrigued at the sight of another Fennekin making it to number one.

"I knew Aria would be number one!" Bonnie squealed happily. Seeing Ash's confused face, Clemont was about to explain to him as to who she was until Kuzuki beat him to it.

"Aria is truly a sight to see. After those two had a top ten series of PokéVision shows they became a pop duo and became pokemon superstars. I got the pleasure to meet Aria myself during my travels. She's got exquisite tastes if I do say so myself. We actually did two collaborations on her own videos. They got number one of course but I've always considered it hers since it's featured on her profile and not mine," Kuzuki informed everyone.

Bonnie grew jealous. "You got to meet Aria and do Pokévisions with her!? No fair!" She pouted, crossing her arms. Kuzuki smiled sheepishly.

"If you want I can show you it later," He offered. Bonnie beamed with excitement. Aria and her Fennekin started dancing and winked at the viewers. Chespin was enamoured with the duo.

"So cute!" Bonnie squeaked. Dedenne agreed with the girl.

"You know Bonnie, that is a cute…" Serena's heart froze. "Fennekin." She relaxed her shoulders and smiled at Ash. Kuzuki noticed this and leaned towards Bonnie, wanting an explanation. Bonnie whispered in his ear while Clemont watched, confused. Once she pulled away, Kuzuki's eyes were as wide as saucers and his jaw fell to the ground. His agape expression then turned into a grin. The grin turned to a snicker followed by a series of chuckles. Kuzuki fell to the floor bursting in laughter. He clutched his stomach and even began to wheeze.

"A-ash? Bahahaha!" Kuzuki continued his onslaught of laughs. Bonnie giggled at the display. Serena, Ash, and Clemont stared at them strangely. "S-she'll be lucky if his dense head will notice!" Tears were rolling down his eyes.

"Don't say things like that. Have faith! Teehee!" She tried to be serious but burst into a fit of giggles. Once the two calmed down, Kuzuki got back up the bench. He wiped his tears from his face.

"Whew! I haven't had that good of a belly laugh in months!" Kuzuki's grin couldn't have been more wider. "I guess this is how Ash felt when Misty-"

"You know." Bonnie stopped him mid-sentence. "You talk about Misty so much. Who is she?"

"Yeah, come to think of it. You haven't properly told us about her," Clemont pitched in. Serena went along with what they said.

"Oh I'm sure Kuzuki can tell you." Ash's smirk stretched.

"Enjoy it as much as you want, Ash. I got some leverage on you now." Ash's expression twisted with confusion. "Not that I'd tell you. Anyway, Misty's this really neat girl that I met while I lingered at the Cerulean City gym. She's the youngest sister of the three gym leaders. Former to be exact. Misty is now head of the gym!" He announced proudly. "Actually, now that I think about it. I'm pretty sure she's at her gym right now. Maybe I should give her a call and see what's up."

"But you said you were going to show us your Pokévision with Aria!" Bonnie protested.

"We could do both! Either way I'm sure you want to speak to Misty again, huh Ash?"

"Yeah, it's been a while!"

"Onwards!" Kuzuki lead the group to the row of computers. He sat on the chair and typed in the Pokévision website. He processed to click on Aria's profile and scrolled through the countless videos. "Here it is, the full video." He clicked on the video and lay back on the chair.

 _"Hey everyone! Aria and Fennekin here!" The pink haired girl chirped brightly. The first thing that Serena noticed was her gleeful attitude. "I brought someone along with me. This is Kuzuki Sakai and his Swinub!"_

 _"Hello!" Kuzuki greeted. He wore a spiffy tuxedo and his hair was neatly combed down. His Swinub had a bowtie under its mouth._

 _"I've invited him to be in my Pokévision for today! Say Kuzuki, what would you say about a little teamwork?"_

 _"Woo! Teamwork!" Aria giggled at his giddiness. He offered her his hand to which she took politely. Aria began to lightly sing as they moved into motion. Kuzuki, not being a great singer, just stuck to dancing and hummed a peaceful tune. Fennekin and Swinub hopped to the rhythm with smiles on their faces. The dance ended with Kuzuki lifting Aria in the air and the two struck a pose. Swinub unleashed a sludge bomb to the air. Fennekin shot an Ember and the two attacks caused sparkles to sprinkle down. The video ended._

"Wow! That was awesome!" Bonnie squealed.

"Wonderful!"

"A spectacular act."

"It was picture perfect! I didn't know you could dance, Kuzuki." Serena saw Kuzuki smile bashfully from the compliments.

"I only know the basics. Honestly, mastering the choreography took forever. I'm lucky Aria was patient enough." Kuzuki rubbed the back of his neck.

"Still, it's amazing."

"Thanks guys. It means a lot. When I last talked to Aria she told me how she was showing interest in doing Pokémon Showcases. I encouraged her since I believed that she'd be perfect for it. I can see Kalos Queen in her near future if she wishes to do so," He explained to his friends.

"Pokémon Showcases?" Serena questioned, her interests perking up.

"It's when female trainers-"

"Kuzuki." Bonnie grabbed hold of Kuzuki's wrist and dragged him to the phone booths. "Introduce us to Misty!" Kuzuki did just that, he dialed in the number to the Cerulean City gym. The phone started to ring.

"Hello? Daisy speaking on behalf of the Cerulean City gym." Kuzuki and Ash were disappointed when it wasn't Misty who picked up. Instead it was her oldest sister, Daisy. "Oh hey, you're Misty's boyfriend, aren't you?" Daisy bluntly spit out, oblivious to the embarrassment that Kuzuki was going to suffer.

"N-no I'm not! You know that, Daisy!" He hissed at her. She giggled when his face turned redder than his beanie.

"Oh well, one day." Daisy winked. Kuzuki's eyes started to twitch. "If you're wondering why I picked up it's because Misty went out for a while. She told me if you called to let you know that it's for the...thing." Daisy tilted her head down knowingly. Kuzuki understood instantaneously, figuring that she didn't want to say it out loud in front of his friends.

"The what?" Ash's comment went unheard.

"That's a shame. I wanted my friends to meet her. Ash also wanted to catch up with Misty."

"Not to worry you two. Misty should be back in about a week. You can call her then."

"I guess," Kuzuki responded, still dejected. "When she gets back can you tell her that I checked in and that I mi-" He leaned closer so that the rest couldn't hear. Daisy giggled.

"I'll be sure to tell her that. She'll be glad to hear it. Bye!" She waved goodbye and ended the call. Clemont coughed awkwardly not used to seeing Kuzuki so flustered.

"That's that then." Kuzuki concluded swiftly, the color of his face slowly turning back to normal. Serena felt a small part of her stomach churn during the call but ignored it. She had something important to tell everyone.

"I've decided to make my debut Pokévision video today!" Serena eyes were filled with determination. Kuzuki clapped.

"You are? That's wonderful! It's really fun making Pokévisions, trust me. We can film our Pokévisions together."

"That's a great idea, Kuzuki!" Serena did a little dance to show her enthusiasm. "Will you help me too, Ash?" She asked hopefully.

Ash wasn't as eager as her. "The thing is, I want to do some special training so I could be ready for my battle with Grant."

"Not better than mine, right Ash?"

"I don't even know what you do!"

"Exactly!"

Bonnie wanted in too. "I want to make one with Dedenne." She pleaded to Clemont desperately.

"But I think you've forgotten that Dedenne isn't your pokemon." Clemont saw his sister deflate.

Bonnie pumped her fists to the air. "All right! Since you already made your Pokévision debut on Kuzuki's video then I guess I'll have to make a video to find a wife for you!" She humbly exclaimed.

"Huh!?" Clemont's expression couldn't have been more funnier for Bonnie. She giggled, knowing that that was the reaction she was hoping for.

"In that case, you can rent all the equipment you need to make PokéVision videos right here in the pokemon center," Kuzuki informed the two siblings. With that said the group of five along with their starter pokemon headed to the front desk. After an awkward conversation with Nurse Joy, they climbed up the stairs. Once they arrived in the equipment room Kuzuki saw an all too familiar face.

"It's you again. How have you been?" The man asked. Kuzuki recognized him as the same man from Lumiose City.

"Hello again. Did you get relocated?"

"Yep. I like it better here. Not big like Lumiose City. The town is small and cozy. Just right for me. Enough about me, how can I help you?"

"My friends." He gestured his hands to his friends. "Will like to make a Pokévision video. We need more equipment."

"Of course." He went to the back and came out with another video camera. Although, it wasn't as nice as the one that Kuzuki owns. Serena thanked the man and started testing it out.

"Pfft. Amateur." Kuzuki snickered, watching Serena aimlessly pointed the video camera to each direction. She stuck her tongue out at him. The man handed Clemont two bags.

"After you finish shooting all the video footage you need, simply bring it back here and we'll do all the necessary editing, and create a soundtrack as well."

"That'd be great."

"I could even make one too." Bonnie spoke.

"Now," Clemont started. "I think I could be the most helpful behind the scenes." He reckoned.

Bonnie put her foot down. "No way. Kuzuki's practically a pro at this already. Leave it to him. You'll be the most help when we make you a big star."

"I-I don't want to be a big star," Clemont complained.

"Trust me." The man grinned. "You're already a big star from that stunt you pulled during that kid's video. You'll hear it on the daily news. Lumiose City gym leader not as nice as he seems? There's your headline right there!" The man was oblivious to Clemont's frozen stature. "Also, we have an extensive wardrobe department that you could use."

"That'll be great." Serena felt the pieces of her life come together. All good news so far.

"That's for the best. I should go all out and try to keep myself in the top ten." Kuzuki and Serena headed into the room filled with all types of wardrobes.

"Hmm." Kuzuki examined the flying suit in his hands. A plan for his next Pokévision formulating in his mind. He also picked out a couple of outfits for Clemont and his pokemon. "I got what I needed. How's it coming, Siri?"

"Fantastic. Hey Kuzuki, what do you think of this costume?" Serena showed him a costume that came with a Fennekin tail and ears.

Kuzuki couldn't suppress his laughter. "I'm sure that Ash will love it." Kuzuki left the room laughing, leaving Serena a hot mess.

 ** _Later..._**

The group minus Ash, setted up their equipment outside on the open field where they can move around freely.

"So...who wants to go first?" Silence was the only answer.

"Clemont will!" Bonnie pushed Clemont forward. Kuzuki handed him his costume.

"Have fun pal." Clemont groaned and put the costume over his jumpsuit. He released Bunnelby and put him and Chespin in their costumes. Bunnelby was given a tiny black hat while Chespin received a blue vest with a red bow tie.

They stood in their position while Kuzuki prepared to film the video. Bonnie watched with mild interest.

"Ready to begin!" Kuzuki gave Clemont a thumbs up. The borrowed video camera ready to record. He scanned the three soon to be stars. Chespin seemed to be the only one not being camera shy. Bunnelby stood there motionless with his eyes widened. Clemont was doing far worse. His whole body was trembling

Bonnie couldn't contain her excitement. "Scene one, and action!" Closing her clapping board.

"Umm...hello t-there m-my n-name is Clemont, and this is…" Chespin suddenly jumped on front of the camera's view, his excitement coming out.

"No! No! Cut! Cut!" Bonnie yelled out frustratingly. "Chespin! You're too far out front! And Clemont! You need more energy! Your voice is weak!" She pointed out his flaws.

"I told you I'm not good at this sort of thing so why can't we make Serena's or Kuzuki's already?" He argued weakly.

Serena had an idea. "I've got an idea! Talk for him, Bonnie. Speak his lines. We'll be hearing your voice instead of Clemont's. Then all Clemont has to do is match his lips to everything that you say!" She finished.

Kuzuki was weary of this. "I don't know. Pokévision is suppose to come from the heart. It'll ruin the whole purpose."

Clemont snapped out of his nervous demeanour. "Let's just go with Serena's idea."

"All right…" Kuzuki sighed. They all got in position again.

"Scene two! Action!"

Clemont waved to the viewers. "Hello there. My name's Clemont. I'd like you to meet my partners, Chespin!"

"Ches!"

"And Bunnelby."

"Bun!" Bonnie trying her best Clemont impression cracked Kuzuki up.

"I'm the Lumiose City gym leader. My speciality is in electric type pokemon. For all you ladies...wassup?"

"And cut!" Kuzuki fell to the floor laughing. Clemont slumped on the floor, humiliated.

"I can't stand this kind of video," Clemont moaned. "Did you really have to say that about ladies?"

"Of course! You obviously can't look out for yourself. You need a loving wife to help you!" Clemont buried his face on the grass.

"My turn!" Kuzuki exclaimed.

One neat transtion later...

"Woohoo!" Kuzuki felt himself feel free.

"Coo!" Dartrix cooed.

Currently, Kuzuki's next Pokévision consisted of him flying with Dartrix. Kuzuki wore a sky suit and was floating in the air with one of the machines that the pokemon center provided.

"This is so awesome. My name's Kuzuki." Kuziki greeted to the viewers. Ivysaur held Kuzuki's video camera with his vine. He could get different angles too. "This is one of my partners, Dartrix. We're going to show you just what we can do in the air!" Kuzuki started dancing with Dartrix in the air, being careful not to trigger one of Dartrix's special attacks. "To top it all off. Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf! Dartrix, hit it with your leaf blade!"

"Ivy!" Ivysaur released one of its Razor Leafs from its back.

"Coo!" Dartrix hit it with his Leaf Blade resulting in the two attacks exploding with green particles sparkling all around. Kuzuki finally managed to do a backflip.

"That's a wrap!" Bonnie shouted. Ivysaur stopped the recording. Clemont went over to turn off the machine. Kuzuki was disappointed as he landed on the ground softly.

"Aw man. That was so much fun!" Kuzuki pouted.

Serena wiggled her finger at him. "Don't forget, we still have to film my debut Pokévision video!"

 ** _Afterwards..._**

"First, take a shot of me and Fennekin running through the field," Serena requested Kuzuki, who had the video camera in his hands.

It looks like that's my cue! Because the future is now, thanks to science! Clemontic Gear, on!" Clemont interjected.

"That's not necessary but all right." Kuzuki set his personal video camera down and tuned out Clemont's speech.

"Action!" He heard Clemont yell. He saw Serena and Fennekin run across the field. Fennekin wore a small miniature hat similar to Serena's. Clemont's machine followed the two. Everything was going fine until the machine started acting crazy. The remote control in Clemont's hands broke apart.

"What happened!? It's out of control! Ah!" Clemont yelped. His invention chased Serena. Serena shrieked and tried to outrun it.

"Hold on!" Clemont, Kuzuki, and Bonnie followed her in pursuit.

"Get away from that thing, Siri!" Kuzuki called out.

"What do you think I'm trying to do!?"

"Heh, right. Ivysaur, use your vines on me and throw me to that machine! I'll try to reprogram it."

"That's much too dangerous!" Clemont reasoned.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur was never one to be disobedient. He wrapped Kuzuki with his vines and chucked him high in the air.

 ** _Kuzuki used Human Aerial Ace!_**

 ** _He missed!_**

"Oof!" Kuzuki landed on the ground with his face covered in dirt.

"Kuzuki! Are you all ri-ah!" Serena narrowly avoided the machine's grasp. She continued running as if there was a Tyrantrum chasing her.

"Science is really amazing, isn't it?" She heard Ash from afar.

It's not amazing! Help me!"

"Right. Pikachu, Electro Ball!" A sphere of electricity collided with Clemont's machine. It exploded on impact with Serena and Fennekin caught in the crossfire. The machine's destroyed parts landed next to her.

"Eh?" Kuzuki plucked his head from out the hole and shook his head frantically, shaking the dirt off his hair. "My head." Kuzuki rubbed the back of his head and stood up. He saw the smoke and rushed towards it.

"I thought you wanted my help!" Kuzuki stood in front of Ash unknowingly lost.

"Help for wha?" He sputtered incorrectly. His eyes caught a yellow blur jumped to the side. His eyes flashed before his eyes.

Fennekin used Ember on Kuzuki…

Kuzuki fell to the floor and curled into a ball. His eyes started flickering left to right. His brain felt like it was on fire. He was starting to remember something.

"Char! Char!" His mind echoed the voice of a Charmander. For some strange reason, Kuzuki shuddered. It felt like an awful memory. He came up with a revelation. Was this why he loathed fire types?

"Oh no! Kuzuki, are you okay?!" Serena asked, worried. A scene popped in her head the instant that Fennekin's attack hit Kuzuki. It was eerily similar to what she saw in the past. It involved her old friend. She got down and started shaking him.

"Huh?" Kuzuki's train of thought was interrupted. He saw Serena's petrified face. "No worries. I'm all good. Really. That Ember attack surprised me, that's all." He assured her. He patted his head and found his hair poof from within his beanie. His face was covered in ash.

"That's a relief." She embraced Kuzuki. "I'm sorry, it's just that Fennekin likes to stay clean. She didn't mean it, right Fennekin?"

"Fenn." Fennekin was speechless. The fox pokemon didn't expect that kind of reaction. Especially from her attack that she didn't put all her might in to.

"I believe the beginning of that scene will do. Let's move on. I got to go change!" Serena let go of Kuzuki and ran to her next outfit.

"Right…" Kuzuki didn't know why but we was feeling skeptical about his "best friend."

 ** _One costume change later..._**

"Here I am!" Serena presented her outfit to everyone. It was a Fennekin outfit. Everyone marveled the sight.

"So cute!" Bonnie grinned.

"Yeah, right Ash?" Kuzuki mischievously smirked at Ash's lost face. He nudged him in the shoulder. Serena went red at his comment. "Makes you want to help us out now, right?"

Ash smiled sadly. "But we got special training."

"Sometimes, taking a break can go a long way if you want to focus on your training." Serena's comment convinced Ash.

"I guess you're right." Ash gave in.

"Wonderful!" Kuzuki cheered. "I'll go set up the next scene. Cooking, right?" Kuzuki asked Serena. She nodded and the boy took his personal equipment and trekked to a free building.

 ** _Afterwards..._**

"You really do know what you're doing Kuzuki." Clemont complimented.

"Come on Clemont. I'm practically a professional at this now." Kuzuki boasted. "I remember my first Pokévision. I went all out. Now I just film simple scenes. Er...Bonnie hold it like this." Kuzuki helped her lift the microphone all the way up. "Ash…a bit more to the side. How else will the light shine on our star? Clemont...more to the left. The angle will be much better." Kuzuki ordered the two boys. "The next scene will be Serena and Fennekin baking goodies together."

Serena came into the room wearing an apron. "Ta-da! Notice we're wearing matching aprons? And Pikachu even has a cameo role." Three three wore matching pink aprons.

Kuzuki noticed Pikachu's nervousness. "Nothing to worry about, Pikachu. You'll follow in Clemont's footsteps with this small role as your debut and become a star just like him." Clemont was about to defend himself. "Action!"

"Hmph." Clemont huffed.

Serena began mixing a bowl of dough with Fennekin watching intently. "Pikachu! Powdered sugar please!" That was the electric types queue. He couldn't mess up! He held the bowl on top of his head and waddled forwards.

To his misfortune, he slipped.

The bowl of powder was dumped at the two pokemon, covering them in powder! Fennekin glared at Pikachu with hatred, disliking to be uncouth.

"Ah! We're sorry, Fennekin!" Ash tried to calm her down, not wanting a repeat of earlier. The fox pokemon prepared for another Ember attack. Pikachu, sensing danger, jumped out of the way.

"No, Fennekin!" It was too late. The Ember struck Kuzuki once more. Kuzuki gasped, dropping the video camera in his hands. He cornered himself to the wall and started breathing rapidly.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur went over to his trainer, worried sick about his behavior. Kuzuki's eyes flickered again. This time, the strange Charmander cries turned into an image.

"Ah!" Kuzuki heard his mind scream. The faint memory finally recovered due to Fennekin's attack.

"Kuzuki?" Serena's voice wavered. Kuzuki finished reliving the memory and started to talk to himself.

"Ash's Charmander...Bradshaw's Pyroar...Magmar...the constant fear of fire type pokemon. I always wondered why I felt uncomfortable ever since I found myself back with you all. It felt like I was scarred, it may even be true. But now I know why…" Kuzuki turned to Serena menacingly. The image of a sinister smile belonging to Serena struck him.

Serena covered her hands with her mouth. Tears slowly dripping down her eyes. Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie watched on mystified. They never seen Kuzuki like this.

Kuzuki pointed a finger at her, eyes narrowed sharply. "It was you! You did this to me! You ruined my life! I'm scarred because of you!"

Not even a week later were the two back to square one.

 ** _Author's Note: Chapter 12 is done. not much to say. I made two parts so this chapter wouldn't be too long. Stay tuned for Chapter 13: A Pokévision Disaster Part 2!_**


	13. A Pokévision Disaster: Part Two

_Chapter 13: A Pokévision Disaster: Part Two_

Ash stood there, stunned as his two friends were fighting again. This time the roles were reversed. Kuzuki was furious at Serena for something Ash didn't even comprehend. And just what did he say about his fear of fire type pokemon being her fault?

"What are you saying, Kuzuki?" Ash asked, speaking for the blond siblings who didn't utter a word.

"It's her, don't you see?!" Kuzuki shouted. "She was acting all goody goody to me when she knew what she did. She lied back there when she said nothing bad happened at that stupid camp! Mild disagreement my ass!" Bonnie gasped at his foul language.

Clemont stepped. "Calm down Kuzuki, I'm sure if we just talk this out-"

"Calm down!? You want me to calm down?!" Kuzuki laughed darkly. "How can I calm down when that girl is the reason why I don't even want to face a fire type pokemon!"

"But you were fine with Fennekin…" Bonnie squeaked quietly.

Kuzuki turned and glared at the fox pokemon. "Psh please. I believed she was totally harmless before. You know since she has a weak trainer."

Serena didn't pay Kuzuki's rude comment to mind. Instead she was hugging herself tightly. In her mind she was saying that this wasn't happening. Fennekin growled at the boy, insulted by his words.

"You shouldn't say those things to your friend," Ash said sternly.

"Friend!?" Kuzuki sputtered. "What kind of friend does something life changing to you and denies it. I bet she just pretended to be nice to me so she could make sure I never knew why. Taking advantage of my memory loss for her own gain."

"You haven't told us why yet."

"Why? Tsk, You know what? I'll tell it to you. I remember myself being able to pet the kanto starter pokemon back in camp by Professor Oak. It was a Bulbasaur that took my focus away from the other two. I was vulnerable to what happened next. That stupid girl came up to Charmander with the most devilish smile I've ever witnessed. She knew what she was doing too when she decided to-"

"That's not what happened!" Serena, snapping out of her demeanor, shrieked. "Please, Kuzuki! I don't know why you're making me sound like an awful person."

"But you are! Admit it, it was your fault!" Serena clenched her arm, not meeting his eye. "Besides what would you know? You're most definitely going to lie about that too. I know what happened even if I can't make out some of the details. I get the main point!" Kuzuki yelled. "You're using all these people too, aren't you? Pretending to be their friend, my friend. Who knows what else you're hiding!"

"But we are friends!" Serena cried out. "We have the bracelets and everything."

"Those cheap things?" Kuzuki scoffed. "You could've bought those off of some store for all I know. To further convince me that we're "friendsq," Kuzuki sarcastically pronounced. Serena let more tears run freely down her face.

Serena walked over to Kuzuki and almost wrapped her arms around him before he shoved her. "Are you trying to hug me!? You're insane! Can't you see that I'm mad at you!?" He barked. Serena cowered back in fear.

Ash had enough. "Kuzuki stop! You've gone far enough!" Ash got in between the two. "We can settle this nicely. Can't you see that she's crying?" Ash pointed to the sobbing girl.

Kuzuki's eyes softened at the sight before he narrowed his focus at Ash. "So now you're taking her side?!"

Ash clenched his fists. "I'm not taking anyone's side! I just want to stop this disagreement!"

"This is more than just a disagreement, Ash Ketchum! Geez, when will you figure that out? It's a wonder why that girl has a massive cr-" Kuzuki stopped himself. "Pfft. Forget this. Ivysaur, we're leaving." Kuzuki snapped his finger. He barged out of the building with his equipment.

"Ivy…" Ivysaur sent an apologetic look to everyone and followed his livid trainer. The whole room was dead silent except for the sniffling sobs of Serena. She hugged her Fennekin desperately.

"Clemont." Bonnie tugged his sleeve, dejected. "Is Kuzuki leaving for good?"

Clemont sighed. "I don't know, Bonnie."

"But he can't!"

"Well he didn't promise this time around. Sorry, Bonnie." Clemont hugged his somber sister.

Ash marched over to Serena. "All right Serena, what's going on?" He asked, genuinely worried. He got a shrug as a response. "Come on. We won't judge you for it. Please...Siri?" He asked hesitantly. Serena stopped crying and Ash almost relaxed. That was until Serena got up on his face, angry.

"My name is Serena. You don't get to call me that. Do you hear me, Ash Ketchum?!" Ash flinched at the volume of her voice.

"Noted. It's just a name…" Serena's eyes grew watery and she threw herself at Ash, crying her heart out. Ash, not used to handling this type of problem, awkwardly patted her back. "Uhh…it's going to be okay. I'm sure Kuzuki will understand that he exaggerated a bit too much. I mean, what he said couldn't be true, right?" Serena let go of Ash and stared at the ground.

Reluctantly, she shook her head. The three gasped. "No, Kuzuki wasn't lying," Serena croaked.

"So you really did do it on purpose." Ash backed away from the girl.

Serena frantically shook her head. "No! No! That part was wrong! I didn't do it on purpose. Kuzuki saying that he saw me smile was a complete lie!"

"Who do you think we can believe?" Bonnie whispered to Clemont.

Clemont's shoulder tensed. "Let's just listen to her side of the story. If Kuzuki comes back then we'll ask him. There's a possibility that Kuzuki missed some details out."

"So what did happen?" Ash repeated. Serena shut her eyes, this day was going to come eventually. Whether she liked it or not.

Serena took a deep breath, ready to tell her friends everything. "I-I think I'm ready to share what happened." She wiped a few stray tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Take your time," Clemont advised.

Serena's lips pursed. "Kuzuki and I were friends during camp. I never truly had the experience of having a friend until he came barging into my life. We became close to the point where we shared our deepest secrets. Kuzuki was the nicest person I've ever met. Everything was going smoothly until one day, that day where everything changed. Kuzuki and I were headed to the main lodge when Professor Oak announced that there were pokemon that we could feed."

Ash's eyes widened. "I remember that. I slept in late. Wait, is this about when Kuzuki…" Serena nodded solemnly. Clemont and Bonnie watched on, confused. Ash figured out what she was talking about but he never got the exact details from Kuzuki whenever he brought it up.

"We got there and Professor Oak gave us permission to play with the pokemon," Serena continued. "Kuzuki did most of the playing while I stood there. The professor insisted that I joined him. I set my eyes on a Charmander..."

 _ **Flashback**_

 _(Refer back to chapter two for previous insight)_

 _"Char!" The playful Charmander jumped happily when it saw young Serena approach. Serena herself smiled at its joy. She crouched down and started petting the fire type._

 _"That's the spirit, Siri!" Kuzuki, with Bulbasaur in his arms, walked over to the lonely Squirtle. Squirtle grinned and hopped on his shoulders. "Cut it out!" Kuzuki laughed as the two pokemon squirmed in his grasp._

 _Serena giggled. She then heard a rustle in the bushes and went to check it out, leaving Charmander by itself. Serena spreaded the bushes wide open and found a Poliwag within it. It squeaked and blasted Serena's face with its water gun._

 _"Ah!" Serena ran the other way, trying to wipe the water off her eyes. She couldn't see. Suddenly, the girl heavily stomped on something squishy with both of her feet. The squishy feeling on her feet shot up and caused her to fall. That's when Serena took the opportunity to wipe the water off her eyes. Though, it was a decision that she regretted for the rest of her life._

 _"Char!" Charmander was up in the air, hating having its tail stomped on. Its eyes were filled with fury. Not thinking about who was in the way, Charmander was ready to unleash one of its most powerful attacks. Inferno._

 _"Squirt!"_

 _"Bulba!"_

 _The other two starters sensed the immediate danger and bolted away._

 _"Huh?" Kuzuki was confused as to why his two new friends ran away. His pupils dilated when he glanced at the livid Charmander. "Wait!" Kuzuki failed to cover his face with his arms in time._

 _"Char! Char! Char!" The lizard pokemon engulfed Kuzuki's face in flames. Kuzuki screamed and struggled to stand. Charmander hopped to his chest and continued its attack. This time Kuzuki fell to the ground. The extreme heat bursting through his face nearly burned his face off. Kuzuki's yells could be heard across the entire camp._

 _"No! Charmander, stop! Return! Return!" Charmander's body turned red as it was called back into its pokeball. Professor Oak rushed to the boy. The older man was visibly distressed._

 _"My face! My face! I can't feel it! Argh!" Kuzuki shouted at the top of his lungs. His body lunged at different directions, reacting to the in unbearing pain badly. Professor Oak tried to get him to stay still._

 _While all of this happened, Serena watched on terrified. Never in her mind did she ever expect this to happen. The tears streamed down from her red eyes. The guilt overcoming her emotions. She couldn't stand seeing Kuzuki at this state. He could be seriously hurt and it was all her fault! Kuzuki finally settled down, his body twitching at random times. The blank look in his eyes told everything. Professor Oak was about to check on the boy until Serena pushed him out of her way and sprawled on top of Kuzuki. She wrapped her arms around him and bawled heavily on his chest._

 _"Now listen little one," Professor Oak said. "I'm going to need you to get off your friend so I can take him to the infirmary straight away!" He requested urgently. Serena shook her head._

 _"N-n-no! D-don't you t-touch m-m-my best fr-friend!" Professor Oak picked the two up and hauled Kuzuki on his right shoulder, with Serena on his left._

 _"I don't have time for this!" Serena let him take them to whatever he wanted to in the first place. She tilted her head to see Kuzuki with his eyes closed. She guessed that he went unconscious at some point. Their arms dangled over the professor's back. With her right hand, Serena grabbed Kuzuki's left and slowly clasped them together comfortably._

 _"Nurse! Nurse! We need medical attention this instant!" Professor Oak demanded as he came in the infirmary. Nurse Joy jumped at his voice. Her eyes scanned the torched Kuzuki._

 _"Oh my! Right away, Samuel!" Chansey picked up the boy from the professor's shoulders and carried him off. "Is the girl all right? Maybe something internal?"_

 _Professor Oak replied with a no. "It's just the boy. Do you mind if you take this girl to the room where Chansey put him. Doesn't seem like she wants to stray far away from her friend. It's unfortunate that she witnessed it all." The nurse nodded and grabbed Serena. Professor Oak paced back and forth, attempting to figure out what to do next._

 _"Is Kuzuki going to be okay?" Serena asked Nurse Joy as they traveled to their destination._

 _The nurse patted her back. "Don't worry little one. He's in good hands." Nurse Joy placed her on one of the chairs and went to examine Kuzuki's current status. "How does he look, Chansey?" She asked her assistant. The two began their medical procedure on Kuzuki, who was on the bed._

 _Serena watched for a few minutes until she was sure that he was going to turn up fine. She felt her eyes go droopy and she decided to take a nap in the meantime._

 _When she did wake up her eyes first gazed at the window. The sky was a vivid orange, indicating that it was evening. She was out for most of the day since they left during the morning. Serena wiped the growing eye boogers off the edges of her eyes and yawned tiredly. Her eyes snapped opened when she caught the sight of Kuzuki eagerly feasting on a sandwich. The top portion of his forehead was bandaged up along with his left ear. His neck and face steamed with burn marks. She noticed that he was having a difficult time fully opening his left eye._

 _Kuzuki, believing that no one was watching, licked his fingers and lightly burped after he devoured his sandwich. The last thing that he expected was Serena lunging for his body on the bed. He groaned, still feeling weak._

 _"Ow! Ow! Owie! Knock it off, Siri. I'm trying to recover…" He stopped when he heard her start to cry on his shoulder. "W-what's wrong?" He asked, not liking to hear his best friend cry. She hiccuped in the midst of things. Serena didn't give him a proper response. "Siri!" He shouted. Serena hastily lifted her head up. "What's the matter? Are you crying because of my injuries? It's not your fault. I don't know what made Charmander go berserk. One minute I was playing with the pokemon and the next I was being attacked. One thing for sure is that I never want to see a Charmander ever again." His body shuddered._

 _Serena hiccuped. "B-bu-but it was my fa-fault! I stepped on Charmander's tail and he…" Serena went back to crying._

 _Kuzuki was silent. "You stepped on its tail? I heard that some pokemon don't like having their tails pulled and stuff but being that aggressive about it surprises me." Kuzuki sat up and brought Serena in for a tight hug. "But don't you go thinking that it's your fault. It was an accident. I know you would never do that on purpose, Siri. It's just bad luck. I should be fine by tomorrow. We will pretend that none of this ever happened if you want."_

 _"D-do you mean it?" Serena muffled through his shoulder._

 _"Yep! Though we'll have to be something simple. Nurse Joy says that I should take it easy for a while." Kuzuki responded. Serena straightened herself so she could face Kuzuki. She had a big smile on her face._

 _"Thank you, Kuzuki." She stared into his eyes intently. Kuzuki chuckled._

 _"I got one question. Does my face still look all right?" Kuzuki cheekily grinned._

 _Serena giggled. "I can't even see your face. It's all covered with bandages." The two shared a laugh. Serena embraced Kuzuki once more and the two enjoyed the comfortable silence. Nurse Joy entered the room._

 _"Aww. How precious!" Serena could feel a familiar sensation start to heat her body. "Kuzuki dear, you got a call coming from one of your parents," Nurse Joy informed him. Kuzuki nodded and gently pried Serena off of him. The two followed Nurse Joy out the room. They reached the main lobby._

 _Kuzuki turned to Serena. "You don't mind if I answer this alone, Siri? I'll meet you after," Kuzuki said._

 _"No problem," Serena answered. She headed for the doors. Before she went out, she took one last look at Kuzuki, who smiled at her. Serena did the same and exited the infirmary. Serena decided to sit down on the ground and wait outside until Kuzuki came out. She lightly hummed a tune and tapped her fingers to the ground. Curiously, Serena took a peek inside from the windows…_

 _ **End of Flashback**_

"...and I saw Kuzuki talking to his father. A few minutes later he was done and came out of the infirmary. I tried to talk to him but he pushed me to the ground with his shoulder and ran off. We never talked after that day. Only if it was Kuzuki picking on me. He made sure to do so every day until camp ended. Our friendship fell apart just like that and it's all my fault," Serena finished, her crestfallen face showing how she felt.

Ash listened on to the whole retelling, intrigued. "So that's how it happened. Everyone heard about something happening that day but know one knew why. The activities were cancelled. Kuzuki told me that he accidentally got too close to a fire. I never would've guessed that something like that happened to him," Ash said.

"Well, now you know."

Ash continued. "That explains why he doesn't like fire type pokemon. Now that I know the truth and I don't what to say. I already told you guys that I captured a Charmander back when I was in Kanto with Kuzuki. Whenever I let Charmander out, Kuzuki released his Bulbasaur and tells him to guard him. It was strange at the time. If I had known that Charmander was the main cause of all of this I would've let him out when Kuzuki wasn't around," Ash explained.

"But wait," Clemont interjected. "Kuzuki mentioned something about a Magmar. Did something else happen?" Clemont questioned. Everyone eyed Ash, expecting an explanation.

"Ash, what happened?" Serena asked nervously.

Ash rubbed the back of his head, not looking forward to telling the tale. "Well…" Ash saw Serena's pleading eyes. "...oh all right. I'm pretty sure Kuzuki was talking about one of the Kanto gym leaders Magmar, Blaine. Unless he's met another Magmar. Anyway, we were at this place called Cinnabar Island. Kuzuki and I were ready to challenge Blaine and earn our Volcano Badges. Kuzuki challenged Blaine first…"

 _ **Back during Kanto...**_

"Now, who wants to battle me three on three?" Blaine, the gym leader, asked the four.

The boy in the red beanie answered. "I-I will!"

His raven haired friend glared at him. "Aw! But I was going to go first, Kuzuki!" He didn't notice that his friend was practically shaking his pants off. The orange haired girl and the taller boy with the green vest did.

"Are you okay, Kuzuki?" She asked worriedly.

"Yeah, you seemed off ever since we entered this secret entrance."

Kuzuki waved them off. "Everything is all right. No need to worry Brock and Misty. Well, maybe just you, Misty." Kuzuki tried to grin but felt his lips quivering down.

Brock observed the battlefield. "Careful. He must have raised some awesome fire type pokemon in this volcano," Brock advised him. Kuzuki gulped.

"Use your water pokemon, Kuzuki," Misty suggested.

"Y-yeah, I knew that." His voice slightly cracked. He clutched one of his poké balls in his hands. He decided to keep Bulbasaur out of the battle. His reasoning is that the seed pokemon would be at a major disadvantage due to the scorching surroundings.

 _Rising Pokémon Trainer Kuzuki vs. Hotheaded Quiz Master Blaine_

"Are you ready to begin?" Blaine asked from afar.

"Y-yes!" Kuzuki responded.

Blaine grinned. "Excellent. I already chosen my first pokemon! Ninetales, go!" Blaine tossed his poké ball to the battlefield. Out came a fox like pokemon with beautiful golden-white fur. Kuzuki heard Ash type it in his pokédex. Kuzuki tuned everything out and took a deep breath.

"Okay! Squirtle, I choose you!" Kuzuki released Squirtle onto the battlefield.

Blaine scoffed. "A water type pokemon. How predictable! Ninetales, Fire Spin!" Blaine ordered.

Brock gasped. "That's Ninetales most powerful attack!"

"Not sure about that, Brock!" Kuzuki corrected him. Ninetales' Fire Spin was coming for Squirtle. "Water Gun!" Kuzuki watched his tiny turtle pokemon launch an array of water to counter the Fire Spin. Both attacks fighted for dominance. "You can do it, Squirtle!" Kuzuki cheered.

Squirtle, not wanting to let his trainer down, squinted his eyes and applied more pressure. Ninetales was alarmed by the increase in power and wasn't prepared for it. Blaine grunted when he saw Squirtle's Water Gun come out on top. Ninetales was knocked down to the ground.

"All right!" Kuzuki exclaimed, regaining confidence because of the battle. "Quick, before Ninetales recovers! Bubble!"

"Squirtle!" Squirtle spit out a series of water bubbles aimed directly at Ninetales!

"Dodge it!" Blaine called. Ninetales was still too dazed to react in time. Each Bubble hit it one by one. Blaine cringed as his pokemon flew to its side with swirls in its eyes.

"Wow! Talk about type advantage!" Ash made a mental note of that for his upcoming battle.

"Ninetales is not able to battle! Squirtle is the winner!" Brock announced since there was no official referee in the area. Kuzuki's smile grew back as he jumped in the hair with his fists up.

"Yes! Spectacular job, Squirtle!" He congratulated. Squirtle smiled at his trainer's kind words. The tiny turtle pokemon did a quick pose for Kuzuki. The boy snickered as he removed his crimson beanie off. This was because of his head dripping with sweat. Kuzuki ran his fingers through his almost shoulder length hair. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and the back of his neck.

Ash caught Misty's gaze linger at the sight of Kuzuki. He very rarely disposed of his trademark beanie. Ash smirked triumphantly.

"Hey Misty, you should focus more on the battle and not at Kuzuki." Brock choked out a laugh at Ash's comment. Misty's face steamed bright red. She angrily turned to Ash and slapped his cheek. Ash groaned in pain, rubbing the handprint on his left cheek. Brock whistled, pretending that he didn't do anything bad.

"Don't you dare say anything stupid like that, Ash Ketchum. Do I make myself clear?!" Togepi chirped happily in her tight grasp, not realizing what was going on. The spike ball pokemon thought Misty was giving her a really good hug!

"Clear...ugh..."

"This poor kid is way in over his head," Blaine muttered to himself as he returned the fallen Ninetales. "Time to teach you a lesson! Rhydon!" Blaine released his second pokemon to the battlefield. Rydon landed with a big thud. It roared menacingly. Ash scanned it with his pokédex while Kuzuki was coming up for his next battle plan.

"Your tiny Squirtle doesn't stand a chance against my Rhydon!" Blaine taunted.

Kuzuki huffed. "We'll see about that. Squirtle, Tackle!"

Blaine laughed. "Fury Attack!" Squirtle charged towards Rhydon, who tried to stop Squirtle with multiple strikes with its horn. The tiny turtle pokemon managed to sidestep them all. "Impressive," Blaine commented. Squirtle pounced on Rhydon and was about to ram his entire body into it. "Hammer Arm!"

"No way!" Kuzuki gasped. Rhydon's fist hit Squirtle mid-air, halting his Tackle attack. Squirtle small size was sent flying to Kuzuki's arm. His eyes swirled and he let out a weak cry.

"Squirtle has left the ring! Rhydon is the winner!" Blaine exclaimed. Kuzuki's body started to shake. If Squirtle landed a few feet shorter he would've fell in the lava.

"Return." Kuzuki shook his head, clearing any negative thoughts in his head. He grabbed another poké ball and put Squirtle's back. "You can do it, Haunter!" He threw his second poké ball to the battlefield.

"Haunt! Ha ha ha!" The gas pokemon cackled with laughter. He showed off his crazy eyes.

"Shadow Punch!" Haunter pushed out one of his hands and blasted it to Rydon. The dark aura enveloped Haunter's hand. He landed a direct hit to the side of Rhydon's head. It staggered to its knee.

"Don't give up so easily. Bulldoze!" Rhydon got back to its feet and began stomping the battlefield tremendously. Kuzuki feared that the battlefield would collapse at any time. The shockwaves surrounded Haunter from all angles. Haunter scratched his head with one of its hands and laughed arrogantly.

"Ground attacks have no effect on a pokemon like Haunter!" Brock pointed out.

"Gee and you'd think a gym leader like Blaine would've known," Misty deadpanned. "That's what happens when you rarely have any challengers I suppose."

"Mwahaha!" Kuzuki laughed evilly. "Now it's time for our ultimate secret tactic! Destiny Bond!" Haunter's entire body was outlined in the color black. The gas pokemon giggled mischievously.

"What's this?" Blaine rose an eyebrow. "What sort of secret tactic involves not attacking. Use Horn Drill!" Rhydon's horn spinned rapidly and it started charging to Haunter.

"Hypnosis!" Haunter's eyes glowed bright red and he started waving his hands back and forth.

"Ha ha ha!" The gas pokemon laughed as he made Rhydon stop in its tracks. Haunter's hands grew bigger each second.

"Go in for another Shadow Punch!" Kuzuki yelled. Since the Rhydon was still in his trance, Haunter chuckled and collided his dark powered fist to its stomach. Rhydon tumbled down stomach first.

"Get up!" Blaine demanded. No way was he going to lose his first battle in years. Rhydon roared and slammed its fists to the ground. "Use Take Down. Give it all you got! No holding back!"

Misty gasped. "Does Blaine know that Take Down also inflicts damage to the user itself? His Rhydon is already as hurt as it is." Ash's interests perked up.

"Maybe it's what Kuzuki wants Blaine to do. Look." Ash pointed to Kuzuki, who had an enormous smile on his face.

"Take Down? Please. Haunter, stop that Rhydon with Shadow Ball!" Kuzuki said with gleaming eyes.

"Haunt." Haunter was too busy enjoying the sight of the lava below them to listen to Kuzuki's command.

"Ah! Not again!" Kuzuki got on his knees. "Please Haunter. Focus on the battle! You can look at the dangerous lava after the battle!" Haunter ignored Kuzuki and continued to stare at the pretty pool of lava. What Kuzuki didn't know was that Haunter detected something inside the lava.

"Eh?" Blaine's mouth went agape at Haunter's disobedience. Rhydon didn't care if Haunter was distracted. It ran over to the gas pokemon, building speed momentum in the process. It collided its body with Haunter. Haunter went flying up in the air. Kuzuki couldn't tell if he was screaming or laughing.

"Haunt!" Haunter landed on the battlefield, knocked out. Kuzuki fell to the ground, he couldn't believe that Haunter wasn't obeying his commands. Suddenly, Kuzuki hopped back to his feet, an arrogant smirk on his face.

"That's r-right! Haunter an-and I meant t-to do that!" Kuzuki revealed. Though, Misty could tell that he wasn't one hundred percent sure about that. The gasps around the battlefield got her attention.

"What's up with Haunter's face?" Ash asked to no one in particular. Two swirly red lights came popping out from Haunter's eyes. Rhydon inhaled and exhaled deeply, weak by his own attack. The two swirly red lights flew to Rhydon and started circling around it. The drill pokemon was surrounded by red aura.

"Rhydon!" Blaine called out to see if his pokemon was okay. The red aura cleared away and Rhydon collapsed to the ground. The attack made it go out cold.

"Both pokemon are unable to battle!" Kuzuki reached for his third pokemon.

"What was that?" Ash questioned, perplexed by the outcome.

"It's a new move that Haunter and I worked on," Kuzuki explained as he returned the gas pokemon. "Destiny Bonds takes its effect when the pokemon that uses it faints. The one that delivered the finishing blow will also faint too. The only catch is that it has a small chance to actually work." Ash grew jealous at the cool move. He wished he had a pokemon that could do the same. It'll make his battles way easier!

"Nidoran, you're up next." Kuzuki grabbed his third poké ball and was about to release the poison pin pokemon until a certain seed pokemon decided to release himself.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur hopped in Kuzuki's arms and happily cried out. He frowned when he started to feel the effects of the hot temperature.

"Bulbasaur!? You're suppose to sit this one out! You're at a major disadvantage here!" Kuzuki tried to return Bulbasaur but the seed pokemon refused and jumped to the battlefield.

"Bulbasaur? This should be easy. I'll have to choose a different pokemon. This pokemon is too hot to handle. It has a power that should interest you because it turns all its opponents into ash," Blaine said.

Ash scratched his head. "No fair! It's too hot to solve riddles!" Ash complained. Kuzuki had beads of sweat go down his head. This opponent sounded like trouble.

"I choose Magmar!" Blaine declared. A wave of lava came from the ground and splashed to the battlefield. Kuzuki gulped at the sight of a wave of lava coming for Bulbasaur.

"Magmar…" Kuzuki trailed off. The lava evaporated and a bipedal pokemon revealed itself. Ash scanned it with his pokédex.

"Magmar," The spitfire pokemon grunted. Bulbasaur went to battle stance, his legs wobbly at the giant pokemon.

"Magmar, Fire Punch, now!" Blaine instructed. Magmar's fist turned fiery and it started throwing punches at Bulbasaur. Kuzuki was frozen, still intimidated by the fire type pokemon. Bulbasaur took charge and dodged most of its punches. One lucky punch was all it took for Bulbasaur to be sent flying to the other side of the battlefield.

"Oh no! Bulbasaur is weak against fire type attacks. Say something, Kuzuki!" Misty shrieked. Kuzuki squeaked out a random noise.

"Let's wrap this up with Fire Blast! Magmar, go!" Magmar inhaled a deep breath.

"Kuzuki, Fire Blast is the most powerful attack of a fire pokemon! Snap out of it!" Misty informed him.

"Yeah, do something or Bulbasaur is toast!" Brock added. Alas, Kuzuki didn't budge.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur's eyes dilated at the fire attack. He looked back to his trainer desperately waiting for a command. Realising he wasn't getting one, Bulbasaur was ready to dodge the attack but it was too late. Kuzuki's eyes snapped open with worry.

"Bulbasaur!" Kuzuki shouted. The Fire Blast hit its target and Bulbasaur was nowhere to be seen.

"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur was seen holding onto the ledge of the battlefield with his vine whip. Kuzuki sighed with relief as the seed pokemon pulled itself back up.

"There's no way I'm risking Bulbasaur getting eaten by that lava. I'm going to forfeit the battle!" Kuzuki walked a couple of steps and almost reached the battlefield.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur turned to his trainer and shook his head. Bulbasaur didn't want to let Kuzuki down. Not after the last gym battle.

"It's much too dangerous! You're going back into your poké ball!" Kuzuki pressed on. Bulbasaur refused and ran away from Kuzuki. The seed pokemon went for a Tackle on Magmar. "Get back here!" Bulbasaur ignored his trainer and neared the spitfire pokemon.

"Skull Bash!" Magmar slammed his skull onto Bulbasaur. The seed pokemon skidded through the battlefield. "Finish this with Flamethrower!" Blaine ordered.

"Bulbasaur, you're forfeiting this battle. Get your butt over here!" Kuzuki cried desperately. His pokemon was barely standing. Bulbasaur, even with the circumstances, shook his head again! "I'll make you then!" Kuzuki neared the battlefield, poké ball in his hands.

"Hey kid, watch out!" Blaine warned Kuzuki.

"What?" Kuzuki's face shrunk when he saw Magmar's attack come straight for him. Magmar stopped spitting out fire but it continued coming for Kuzuki. Bulbasaur tried to move but he couldn't move from the attacks that he absorbed. The Flamethrower forced itself to Kuzuki's face. "Agh!" Kuzuki yelped as he lost his footing. His eyes were burning and he couldn't see a single thing.

"No, Kuzuki!" Ash reached out for his friend's hand. He just barely missed and Kuzuki's body sunk down to where the lava bubbled. Everyone gasped loudly.

"Kuzuki!" Brock and Misty shouted.

"Kid! Oh no!" Blaine sputtered.

"Bulbasaur!" The seed pokemon forced himself to stand up and raced to where he trainer just fell. Releasing his vines, Bulbasaur managed to wrap Kuzuki in his grasp.

"H-help…" Kuzuki weakly uttered. His face was mere inches from the lava. He felt sparks of fire land on his face. Bulbasaur grunted and pulled up Kuzuki a few feet up. However, the damage he sustained from the battle kept him from pulling Kuzuki farther up. The seed pokemon senses soared when the vine started to rip because of how far down Kuzuki was and the time he spent trying to lift him up. Kuzuki's body started sinking once more.

"Magmar! Help them!" Blaine demanded. Magmar scratched its head, confused. Bulbasaur clenched his eyes and give it his all. It wasn't enough.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur cried when the vine was almost cut in half. There was no way that he was going to lose his trainer. The seed pokemon's bulb glowed shiny blue. It spread throughout his entire body.

"I think Bulbasaur is evolving!" Brock exclaimed. True to his words, after the glow disappeared, Bulbasaur wasn't there any more. Instead.

"Ivy!" Kuzuki's mind went blank as he was thrown far up in the air. He landed back to where he previously was with his friends.

"Kuzuki!" They all went to check up on the boy.

"I'm fine. I think." Kuzuki told them. His body shuddered from the experience.

"Fine!? But you were almost melted!"

Kuzuki's eyes were lost. This was all too familiar to him. "I guess." An exclamation mark appeared on top of Kuzuki's head. The revelation made him come out of his despair. "Bulba-wait no! It's Ivysaur!" Everyone turned to the newly evolved grass type pokemon.

"Ivysaur!" Ivysaur glared at Magmar with fury. Blaine looked on, unsure of what to do now that he wasn't going to be charged with melting a kid's body.

"We can call of the battle if you want! No shame in that!" Blaine hollered. Ivysaur turned to Kuzuki, determination in his eyes.

"Heh, different pokemon but remaining as stubborn as ever." Kuzuki chuckled. "If it's all right with you we'll continue battling!" Kuzuki said with confidence.

Blaine was flabbergasted. "This kid just had a near death experience and still wants to keep battling?! Wierd. I suppose it's the least I can do for avoiding some sort of punishment. Magmar!"

"Magmar?" Magmar was trying to comprehend what was going on. His opponent changed all of a sudden. That and he almost killed a kid.

"Go in for a Flame Punch!" Magmar nodded and stomped towards Ivysaur.

"Dodge to the side and use Sleep Powder!" Ivysaur jumped to the side and blasted a smoke of his Sleep Powder right into Magmar's face.

"No! Snap out of it, Magmar!" Blaine said. Magmar was having trouble standing up. The move didn't take its full effect due to Magmar being resistant to grass type moves. It wasn't fast asleep. Kuzuki grinned.

"Now, do what you did with me Magmar, toss him in the air!" Kuzuki instructed. Ivysaur wrapped the dazed Magmar with its vines and with all of his might, chucked him in the air, releasing his grip in the process. "Slam him where he belongs, Ivysaur!" As Magmar descended back down, Ivysaur got it within his grasp again and directed him to the pool of lava.

"Ivy!" Ivysaur, with all his might, slammed Magmar into the lava. A large blast of lava bursted to the air because of the spitfire pokemon's weight.

"Make sure it stays down! Razor Leaf on one of those rocks up above!" Ivysaur nodded and whipped out two Razor Leafs from within the leaves of his back. Being careful not to make the whole area collapse too. As planned, a heavy chunk of the rock cracked and sunk down to where Magmar landed.

Kuzuki and Blaine waited anxiously for any sign of Magmar. Blaine's hopes went up when Magmar jumped up from the lava and landed back on the battlefield. It got into its battle stance once more.

"Wait for it," Kuzuki said to his partner. Blaine gasped as his pokemon fell to its stomach. The battle was over.

"Magmar is unable to battle! The winner is Kuzuki and Ivysaur!"

"All right, Ivysaur!" Kuzuki cheered. "I would come over there but I think it's best for you to come to me!" Ivysaur leapt to his trainers arms. "Buddy, you're a real lifesaver. From now on, I'll keep you by my side twenty-four seven. No more poké ball for you."

"Ivy!" Ivysaur liked the idea of being with his trainer all the time. Kuzuki kept the real reason to himself. He wanted Ivysaur with him so he'll feel safe from danger.

"Well I'll be," Blaine said as he recalled Magmar back into its poké ball. "Congratulations, Kuzuki. I'm glad I took off my wig for you." He bowed. Blaine made his way over to Kuzuki. "I got one last riddle for you. What's always red but doesn't have any words? Why, the answer is the Volcano Badge!" He presented the gleaming badge to Kuzuki.

"Right…" Kuzuki rolled his eyes at his "riddle."

"Ash." Blaine gave Kuzuki the badge and turned to Ash. "Give me an hour to heal up my pokemon and we'll have our gym battle then." Ash nodded. "Also, I hope this is enough for you to keep your mouth shut about what almost happened to you, Kuzuki." Blaine smiled nervously.

"Sure. Giving me a badge clears up my near death experience." Kuzuki let it slide for now and observed his newly evolved Ivysaur some more.

"Seeing you battle already gave me some ideas!" Ash told Kuzuki as Blaine left. "I'll earn my Volcano Badge too!"

Kuzuki grinned at his friend's excitement. "Sure, let's get out of here first. I'm too cautious of this place now." Kuzuki left in a flash with Ash, Brock, and Misty in tow.

 _ **Present...**_

"..so that's how it went," Ash finished. Serena listened on wistfully while she groomed Fennekin back to her natural beauty. Bonnie's curiosity got the best of her.

"Hey Ash, where's Haunter now?" She asked. Serena was too preoccupied with her thoughts to listen on.

"Gengar," Ash corrected. "He evolved later on. Though, I actually don't know what happened to Gengar. Kuzuki used him during the Silver Conference. It never occured to me to ask since Kuzuki came back. Now that I think about it, Kuzuki had two more pokemon that aren't here."

"What are they?" Clemont spoke for Bonnie.

"Tentacruel and Vileplume," Ash answered. "Kuzuki let Tentacruel go free so he could join Tentacruels and Tentacools in the ocean. For migration purposes and when we were at the Orange Islands. He replaced Tentacruel with Swinub. Kuzuki found an Oddish that wandered too far from the Johto region. She turned into a Vileplume and battled for Kuzuki during the Silver Conference. No idea where she is either," Ash lectured the three.

Clemont looked impressed. "If I'm correct those two are part poison types." Ash nodded affirmatively. "So Kuzuki specializes in poison type pokemon then counting his Gengar, Ivysaur, Nidoran, Tentacruel, and Vileplume."

"That's pretty much right," Ash replied.

Bonnie gasped. "If I'm right then Kuzuki has one free spot available. I wonder which pokemon he'll catch here if he wants to compete in the Kalos League."

"Correct. You need six pokemon for later battles," Clemont chimed in.

They were all interrupted by Serena's revelation. "So I almost killed Kuzuki." Serena hung her head down.

Bonnie patted her arm. "For the last time it's not your fault. You didn't mean to create his fear of fire type pokemon." Bonnie comforted her.

"Don't beat yourself up," Ash said. "We can talk to Kuzuki when he calms down and clear everything up. I think I can talk some sense into him." Serena smiled gratefully at Ash's words. "Will finishing your Pokévison help you feel better?" Ash regretted his words once he saw Serena frown.

"We filmed most of my video with Kuzuki's video camera. He left with all his equipment. We were going to work on it together," Serena replied glumly.

Ash gave her an assuring smile. "We'll get that piece of footage back later. For now, we should finish the video with the rented equipment," Ash suggested.

"But Kuzuki was the one who knew how to operate everything," Serena argued.

Clemont chuckled. "That's where I come in. I told you before that I'm better behind the scenes."

Bonnie smiled. "Yeah and we can finish the video with you in that pretty pink dress!" Fennekin yipped happily at the idea and fetched the dress for her trainer.

Serena's heart warmed up. Her friends were always there when she needed them. When she was down they helped her right back up.

 _"Just like Kuzuki…"_

 _ **At the Pokémon Center...**_

Kuzuki fumed with fury as he finished up editing his Pokévision. Ivysaur cringed every time Kuzuki gritted his teeth when Serena showed up in the video. Kuzuki retrieved a flash drive nearby and put Serena's video in it unedited. The boy thanked the man for letting him edit his own video, informed him to give the drive to the girl with the Fennekin, and was about to leave. The man left his station.

Kuzuki smirked deviously. He rushed in the room and eyed the editing machine and a hammer conveniently placed on a nearby table. He gripped the tool tightly.

"Here goes nothing." Kuzuki raised the hammer in the air, ignoring Ivysaur's protests, and slammed it into the machine. He repeated this until the editing machine was turned into scraps. "Good thing I turned my own video in. Let's see how that girl edits her video. Let's go." Kuzuki made a break for it with Ivysaur behind him. He raced down the stairs and crashed into someone.

"Ouch! Watch where you're going you twerp! Oh hey, it's you."

"Huh?" Kuzuki faced the three figures. It was a pink haired woman, a blue haired man, and a shorter person with a brown cap. "Get away from me you weirdos. I don't know you." Kuzuki walked around them and continued his way down.

"We got away with it!" Kuzuki mischievously laughed. Ivysaur huffed, not liking this side of his trainer. "I wonder what we should do nex-oof!" Kuzuki yet again bumped into someone.

"Sorry. Wait a minute. It's you, Kuzuki Sakai!" A voice exclaimed. Kuzuki didn't recognize the next voice either.

"The one Shauna rambles on about. Pokévison star?" Kuzuki stood back up and dusted the invisible dust from his shoulders arrogantly.

"Fans, eh? You got a pen or something so I can give you two an autograph?" Kuzuki faced a large tall boy with a Squirtle and a shorter boy with a camera hanging from his shoulders.

"Huh?" The taller boy seemed confused. "Kuzuki, it's me Tierno. Remember? We met a few months ago in Santalune City."

Kuzuki scratched his head. "Sorry, I don't remember you." Tierno was visibly upset by this. Kuzuki felt bad about it. "I'm sorry, it's not my fault. I just recently had some of my memories wiped by a chaotic Malamar, I kid you not."

The shorter boy stared at him strangely. "What does Shauna see in this guy." He sweatdropped.

Tierno was different. "Hey, I believe you! I heard about some crazy stories about Malamars. Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Tierno and this is my partner, Squirtle."

"Squirtle!" The tiny turtle pokemon waved at Kuzuki and Ivysaur.

"We love to dance!" Tierno and Squirtle did a small dance together. Kuzuki clapped at their performance.

"And I'm Trevor," Trevor introduced himself. "My partner is Charmander." Trevor released the lizard pokemon from his poké ball.

"Char! Char!" Charmander instantly went to Ivysaur.

"Gah!" Kuzuki covered his face with his arms. Ivysaur protected his trainer and released his two vines.

"Char?" Charmander was confused by Kuzuki's reaction.

"Oh I'm sorry! Charmander's usually like this!" Trevor apologised.

"Trevor's Charmander likes to battle a lot," Tierno explained to the cowering Kuzuki.

"Can you please put Charmander back?" Kuzuki pleaded. Kuzuki relaxed his shoulders when Charmander was gone. "I'm sorry about my behavior. I just really don't like fire type pokemon. Especially Charmanders."

Trevor gasped. "I'm sorry. I didn't know!"

Kuzuki smiled sadly at him. "No sweat dude. It's just that I had this really bad experience with a Charmander. I didn't remember why until earlier today." Kuzuki's lips twitched down.

"So you weren't lying about being mind wiped?" Trevor replied.

"Nope. Don't take it the wrong way. I'm not going to force you to keep Charmander in his poké ball. I just thought I'd let you know so you'll understand my behavior." Trevor and Tierno nodded understandably. Trevor's gaze directed to Ivysaur.

"It's an Ivysaur!" Trevor crouched down next to Ivysaur and snapped a picture of him. Kuzuki turned to Tierno questionably.

"Trevs here likes to take pictures of other trainers pokemon," Tierno said.

"Yep! It's my dream to meet every pokemon listed in the pokédex. And someday discover a new pokemon that hasn't even been listed yet," Trevor added as he showed Kuzuki various pokemon from his camera data.

"That's cool!" Trevor's face flushed by the compliment.

"I bet you're dream is to become a Pokévision star," Trevor guessed. Tierno smiled widely.

"I agree with Trevs. We saw your Pokévision at the pokemon center earlier. Congrats on number three!" Tierno gave him a thumbs up.

Kuzuki shuffled his feet. "Actually, that's not my dream. My dream is to conquer a pokemon league and become champion of that region!" Kuzuki declared confidently. Tierno and Trevor got a good impression of Kuzuki by that. "Though, I didn't see you guys at the pokemon center."

Trevor seemed embarrassed as he talked. "We were at the next town over. Tierno and I saw it live with our friend, Shauna. And well... she flipped. She screamed your name and even danced all over the pokemon center. We were kicked out for making too much noise," Trevor piped meekly.

Tierno put his finger above his chest. "Since you forgot about me then I doubt you remember Shauna. Let's just say she's a big fan of your work. We just parted ways with her right after we left the pokemon center. Boy, is she going to lose her mind when she finds out that she missed you again!" Tierno thought of all the possibilities to himself. All of them involved Shauna yelling at him.

"Fan, huh? That's nice to know. Anyway, where are you two off to?" Kuzuki asked curiously.

Trevor was the one to answer. "We're both heading to Cyllage City for different reasons. I wanted to go so I can meet more pokemon!"

Trevor grinned and pointed his thumb to himself. "And I'm going to see the Cyllage City gym! Not to battle but I've wanted to compete for the Kalos League for quite some time now. I thought I'd scope out the gym leader. What about you, Kuzuki?"

Kuzuki looked down at his Ivysaur. "We're going to Cyllage City too! Unlike you Tierno, I'm going to challenge the gym leader and earn my Cliff Badge. It'd mark as my sixth gym badge!" Kuzuki pulled out his badge case and opened it for them.

Tierno and Trevor looked with wonderment. "Wow! That's mighty impressive, Kuzuki! Makes me want to challenge gym leaders even more!" Tierno said.

Trevor shyly nodded. "Me too."

Kuzuki put his badge case back. "I hope you two do. Then we might battle each other in the Kalos League." Tierno turned to Trevor and whispered something in his ear. They pulled away and tipped their heads.

"Kuzuki," Tierno started. "Why don't you join Trevor and I? We're all going to the same city. Plus, we'll get to know each other better," Tierno suggested.

Kuzuki smiled apologetically. "Sorry guys but I'm already traveling with a group of friends. As much as I'm tempted by that offer I think it's best if I stayed with them," Kuzuki answered honestly. He really did want to go with them so that he'd get away from Serena. But he ultimately decided to stay because of his other friends.

Tierno sighed. "Aw. I guess that's okay. I can't say I'm not disappointed," Tierno admitted. "We didn't have much time to get to know each other a few months ago. You seem like a swell guy!"

Kuzuki grinned. "Don't be upset. I'm sure we'll meet each other again at some point. You can count on that!"

"Say," Trevor said while he fiddled with his camera. "Where are your friends anyway?"

"The thing is, I went off on my own for a little while in this city so I can turn my my footage for my next Pokévision. I should probably go back and find them…" His voice stopped when he heard a sound of a hot air balloon behind him. The three turned to see a giant hot air balloon in the shape of a Meowth. "...cripes. Team Rocket. Looks like they made another capture." The balloon started moving away. "Might as well go see what's up. Come on, Ivysaur!" Kuzuki sprinted to the hot air balloon's direction and waved his two new friends goodbye.

 _ **One thrilling chase scene later...**_

Kuzuki panted from the excessive running. He came to a step when Team Rocket's machine landed on a big cave. He watched as they carried a glass box into the cave itself.

"That's Pikachu, Dedenne, and ugh...Fennekin." Kuzuki rolled his eyes. "We should still save them regardless." Team Rocket left the cave and used Malamar's psychic to go to the top of the cave. "Now's our chance." Kuzuki stealthily made his way over to the cave. Ivysaur thought he looked stupid while doing so. "Tip toe tip toe," Kuzuki whispered to himself. He could hear Team Rocket enjoying themselves. He tiptoed his way inside the cave.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu cried happily at his savior. Dedenne was the same. Fennekin glanced at the boy and growled menacingly.

"Happy to see you too," Kuzuki mused sarcastically. Kuzuki inspected the cage. "Doesn't feel that strong. Ivysaur, Tackle!"

"Ivy!" Ivysaur followed the command and rammed his body onto the glass box. It broke with no sweat. The two electric types cheered and scurried off. Fennekin stayed and was ready to attack the seed pokemon. Ivysaur swiftly turned his head, not caring about the fire type and left the cave. Kuzuki and Fennekin followed.

"Quietly guys!" Kuzuki advised them. Pikachu, Dedenne, and Ivysaur splashed across the big puddle of water in their way. Kuzuki made it halfway through until he noticed that Fennekin wasn't moving. The fox pokemon stared at the muddy water, disgusted. "Oh come on you big baby!" Kuzuki hissed. Fennekin didn't move an inch.

"We don't have time for this." Kuzuki ran to where Fennekin was and grabbed her. He bit his lip when she decided to gnaw on his thumb. Kuzuki and the pokemon left the area without a trace.

Kuzuki let go of Fennekin after a few minutes of running and let out a holler. "Youch! You stupid Fennekin!" Kuzuki clutched his injured thumb.

"Fenn." Fennekin looked proud of her handiwork.

"Hey, Kuzuki!" Kuzuki turned around to see Ash and the others running to them. Kuzuki waved at them but stopped when he saw Serena. "You found our pokemon! Thanks a bunch!" Pikachu and Dedenne dashed to their caretakers. Fennekin gracefully trotted to Serena.

"I saw Team Rocket's balloon when I left the pokemon center and thought I'd check it out. I was right with my suspicions. How'd they manage to steal your pokemon?"

Ash went on to tell Kuzuki on how the editing machine was broken and that Team Rocket tricked them into believing the they were professional Pokévision producers. That's when they swiped their pokemon and retreated.

Kuzuki's smirk didn't go unnoticed. "The editing machine was broken, huh? Heh, that hammer must've done a number on it. Broken pieces are everywhere, I presume?"

Ash eyed his friend suspiciously. "How did you know that the editing machine was destroyed by a hammer and left into pieces?"

Kuzuki whistled nonchalantly. "Lucky guess." Kuzuki shrugged. "Now that your pokemon are back we should head back to the town and continue our trip to Cyllage City." Kuzuki began walking.

"Kuzuki, I...oh never mind," Serena mumbled sadly as she watched Kuzuki go on without them. Ash narrowed his eyes and motioned his friends to catch up.

"Hold on a second, Kuzuki." Ash made Kuzuki halt. "We have things to talk about."

"What's there to talk about?" Kuzuki innocently asked, avoiding Ash's eye.

"Serena here has something she wants to say," Ash growled when he saw Kuzuki start to leave. "You're going to listen to her! If you don't I swear I'll never talk to you again, Kuzuki Sakai!" Ash barked. Serena gasped lightly. He was willing to risk his friendship for her?

Kuzuki's shoulders tensed and he turned back around, eyeing them angrily. "Well? Go ahead, I don't have all day." Kuzuki impatiently crossed his arms.

Serena stared at the ground anxiously. "I-I wa-wanted t-t-to say th-that...oh never mind." Serena buried her face with her hands. Kuzuki's irritated glare made her not want to say anything anymore.

"So be it." Kuzuki pushed his hands into his pockets and stormed off.

"What happened, Serena? We had this planned out and everything," Ash pointed out.

"I don't want Kuzuki to get even more mad at me. Let's just forget about it. Things are never going to change." Serena walked forward aimlessly. Ash clenched his teeth and caught up to Kuzuki.

"Pika pika." Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder and went to talk to Ivysaur.

"Ivy," Ivysaur apologised for his trainer's rude behavior. At least, that's what Ash thought.

"Kuzuki, I'm sorry for snapping at you," Ash said. Kuzuki slowed down for Ash. His face was remorseful.

"Same here," Kuzuki responded lamely.

Ash asked his question out loud. "Will things ever be the same like they use to be?"

Kuzuki kicked the dirt. "I don't know, Ash Ketchum. I truly don't know." The two continued their trail to the pokemon center silently.

"To Cyllage City then?" Kuzuki broke the silence.

Ash shook his head. "Actually, Clemont and Serena were talking about all the cool stuff in Ambrette Town. We made it official to go there." Ash regretted his words when he saw Kuzuki's mood go down.

"Without me I bet," Kuzuki sighed. "I've already been there. Professor Sycamore took me there to help me get to know the region more and because he had some secret researching to do," Kuzuki revealed.

"Oh," Was all Ash said.

"I kind of just want to get to Cyllage City already. It's not you guys, it's just how I rolled when I was traveling alone." Ash felt bad for forcing Kuzuki to go with them. He wasn't used to it after a long time of going solo.

"You don't have to come," Ash replied. "We can meet up at Cyllage City," Ash insisted.

"What about them?" Kuzuki tilted his head to the direction to the other three.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll think of something to make it up for Bonnie." Ash chuckled after Kuzuki playfully punched him in the arm.

"There's another reason." Kuzuki spoke. "I met two new friends today. I met one of them before but the whole memory loss thing made me forget. They're heading to Cyllage City too. I wanted to go with them but I declined. I didn't want you guys to think I bailed on you."

"You should go with them."

"Now that I have your approval I think I'll take them up on that offer if they're still around." His voice turned quiet. "One to them has a Charmander." Ash's eyes widened. "I really want to go so I can get over this fear of fire type pokemon. More specifically, Charmander. I think having one around will at least help me not freak out whenever there's a fire type around. It'll sure help whenever I battle someone who owns one. I don't want cold feet anymore," Kuzuki finished truthfully.

Ash smiled, liking how his friend was willing to overcome his fear. "That'll be great. Maybe you'll apologise to Serena afterwards."

"Yeah. Maybe..." Kuzuki lied.

 _ **Later...**_

Kuzuki parted ways with Ash and searched around the city. He perked up when he saw his two new friends about to leave.

"Tierno! Trevor!" Kuzuki waved his hands in the air frantically.

"Kuzuki!? I thought you were leaving with your friends," Tierno speculated.

"I was but they let me come with you guys. They were going to Ambrette Town. I've already visited that place and didn't want to waste precious time. What do you say, got room for one more?" Kuzuki offered.

Tierno and Trevor look at each other and smiled. "Of course!" They both said in unison.

"Great! Let's go!" Kuzuki, Tierno, and Trevor left the small town and sparked up a conversation about pokemon.

"You have a Dartrix!? I haven't even heard about that pokemon before. Is it native to some other region? You have to show me him!" Trevor eagerly pleaded. Tierno laughed at his old friend's excitement. He really does come out of his shell whenever it comes to meeting new pokemon.

"Sure, only if you'll let out Charmander." Trevor and Tierno grew weary at his request.

"Are you sure? I thought you were terrified of my Charmander," Trevor reminded him.

"I am," Kuzuki admitted. "But I want to get over my fear. And that'll only be done if I face it myself." Kuzuki grabbed Dartrix's poké ball and let him out.

"Wow!" Trevor cooed at the sight of the exotic bird. "I guess I should fulfill my end of the bargain." Trevor glanced at Kuzuki who nodded in return. The orange haired boy released Charmander.

"Char! Char!" Charmander immediately went to Ivysaur and started throwing air punches next to him. Ivysaur ignored the lizard pokemon and kept walking. Tierno's Squirtle joined the two fellow starter pokemon. Trevor snapped shots of Dartrix from all angles.

"Stay calm." Kuzuki held his breath. He could feel the flame of Charmander's tail right next to him.

 _"One step at a time."_

 _ **Back at the random cave...**_

"Jessie?"

"Yes?"

"I think we got outplayed." James kicked the shattered glass.

"What makes you say that?!" Jessie wanted to punch someone. They let the pokemon slip out of their grasp while they were filming her marvelous Pokévison! "Why didn't Malamar do anything!? I thought he was suppose to alert us for intruders!"

James shrugged and petted his Malamar. "Tired because of your Pokévison nonsense I suppose." Jessie and James got into a heated argument.

Meowth facepalmed. "These lugs really need to be more like me. Strong and open-minded. Instead, they're just a bag of rocks."

"Wobbuffet!"

 _ **At the Pokémon Center...**_

"Why did Kuzuki leave without saying goodbye!?" Bonnie bawled. The sudden exclusion really upset her.

"He'll be back when we get to Cyllage City. We made plans to meet up there," Ash consoled her.

The group were currently at the pokemon center booking their rooms for the night. Oddly enough, Nurse Joy asked of Kuzuki's absence. Not that Ash was going to tell her.

"Come on Bonnie, I'm sure editing my Pokévison will help you feel better." Clemont wrapped his arm around his little sister. He didn't like seeing his sister cry. Although, he understood Kuzuki's actions from what Ash told him and didn't hold it against him.

"Will you help?" She pleaded with big eyes.

Clemont smiled and ruffled her hair. "Wouldn't have it any other way." The two headed upstairs. Ash and Serena were left.

"We should follow them. We got yours to edit too," Ash said. "Kuzuki will be fine. When he comes back he'll be less afraid of fire type pokemon. Maybe he'll even have a talk with you about it," Ash assured his crestfallen friend.

Serena looked at Ash and then at her bracelet. She nodded gratefully and the two headed up the stairs as well. Serena was immersed in her thoughts. She was coming up with ways to help fix her relationship with Kuzuki. Then it hit her. The thing she needed to know was right in her head.

Serena smiled reached the ends of her face. It was so obvious now that she thought about it.

 _'I'll remind him the truth. The truth as to why we're so close. The day that we fe-'_

"Serena, you coming?" Ash asked when he noticed that she stopped climbing the steps.

"I'm coming, Ash!" Serena merrily raced up the steps, leaving a perplexed Ash Ketchum behind.

"And soon the memories will come to you, Kuzuki Sakai."

 _ **Author's Note: Chapter 13 is complete. Woo, I hit one hundred thousand words! About Pokémon battles, I use moves not seen in Kanto so it wouldn't be too bland with the same moves repeated. An example is Destiny Bond used during Kanto (aka gen 1). Next chapter will be Kuzuki, Tierno, and Trevor centric. Maybe an Ash and Co. scene in there. Like before, when Kuzuki reunites with Ash (again) a few episodes will pass by. Stay tuned for Chapter 14: Overcoming the Truth!**_


End file.
